


In Hell, the Water is Magic

by Reya_Wrights



Category: Finder no Hyouteki | Finder Series
Genre: Anal Sex, Asami is bisexual and you will deal, BAMFs, Blood and Gore, Comfort/Angst, Consensual Sex, Domestic Fluff, Drama & Romance, Established Relationship, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Flashbacks, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, M/M, Minor Character Death, Past Relationship(s), Rimming, Smut, Torture, Travel, Violence, mentions of domestic violence, there IS a plot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-24
Updated: 2019-07-20
Packaged: 2019-08-07 03:01:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 43,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16400105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reya_Wrights/pseuds/Reya_Wrights
Summary: Asami finds out he has a 5 year-old daughter from a previous relationship. As Akihito and their entourage adapt to the newcomer as well as possible, Asami remembers the odd circumstances in which he met her mother. Meanwhile, the child's existence sparks the interest of many…





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!
> 
> Initially, I was going to post this with no warning whatsoever... But I'm not that cruel, so here are a few (spoiler-free) things you might want to know before jumping in:
> 
> First of all, as you read the summary and progress through this fanfic, you might think it's all going to be a cute, merry walk in the park..... You might be (partially) wrong *wink* but I can promise you adorable moments, sexy bits, and explicit violence. (I will update the tags as I post chapters to avoid spoilers).
> 
> Second, I looove playing with timelines. Like, a lot. I advise you to keep that in mind.
> 
> And finally, English is not my mother tongue, so please feel free to let me know if you see any Big Miss Steak. Also, constructive criticism is appreciated and even encouraged!
> 
> I think that's it for now, so I hope you will enjoy this!  
> ~R.W.
> 
>  
> 
> ***The View Finder Series and its notable characters belong to Yamane Ayano. I do not earn anything from writing this fanfiction.***

Asami watched the city lights until they disappeared completely, devoured by the clouds, before he took the letter from his breast pocket again. It had been manipulated so many times and gripped so hard that the paper was already soft and crumpled. He read it again, for what must be the hundredth time. He knew the author for being a dramatic character, but she was not into jokes. Well, not serious ones involving death or life, at least. That was the only reason why Asami had agreed to embark on a nearly seventeen hours long flight.

The paper was a light shade of pink, a choice that had probably been made as an attempt to make the content of the letter seem less grave than it was… Asami put it down and closed his eyes, his brow furrowed. Somewhere among the rumble of his thoughts, he heard Kirishima place the call to arrange their arrival as instructed. There was so much to discuss, so many questions to ask. Asami could not decide if he should start with ‘’how’’ or ‘’why’’.

_How did it come down to this?_

_Why didn’t you tell me earlier?_

Better yet: _Why didn’t you tell me at all?_ _Why, in six whole years, did you not once reach out to me?_

 

* * *

 

A ray of sunlight suddenly pierced through the horizon, pulling Akihito from his thoughts. So he had not slept at all in the end… After Asami’s departure, Akihito had let himself fall on the couch and remained there. He could not help but replay the discussion they had had hours ago in his head.

In pretty much any kind of relationship, ‘’we need to talk’’ rarely predicted something pleasant. Theirs was no exception, but nothing could have prepared him for _that_. Checking the time, he deduced that Asami must be about halfway to his destination. Would he even contact him to keep him updated on the situation? Or would he leave him in the dark until he returned?

Akihito shook his head. There was nothing he could do anyway, so worrying was useless. He got up, stretched his arms, and walked straight to the guest bedroom that had turned into his own home office long ago. Since he could not sleep nor concentrate, he might as well be productive and tidy it up. Just in case. 

 

* * *

 

“Welcome to Parrita.”

The driver left the road and forced the Jeep through the vegetation. Asami and Suoh held on to whatever they could until the car came to a stop in front of a tall fence covered in barbed wires. The driver rummaged through the glove compartment until he found a tiny remote control. Past the fence, the car’s headlights caressed a rather elegant, square-shaped, two floors high house, mainly hidden by large trees and bushes. A middle-aged man came out of the house as the Jeep approached, and opened Asami’s door as soon as the car came to a full stop.

“Hello, Mister Asami. Remember me?”

“Pedro.” Asami nodded in acknowledgement. Then, after checking the man’s outfit: “When did you become a priest?”

The man ignored the question. He quickly exchanged a few words in Spanish with the driver before turning back to his guests and invited them to follow him inside. Asami and Suoh were left to wait in a large room whose walls were covered in shelves, where books and small pieces of decoration were harmoniously aligned. Large green plants in pots stood in front of each window. Asami could not repress the faint smile that tugged at his lips as he looked around: clearly Carla had decorated the place herself. It was typically her style.

“Mister Asami. You can go see her now... I left the door open.”

Asami made a gesture for Suoh to wait for him there, then walked unhurriedly in the direction indicated by Pedro. He found himself in a well-lit hallway, and saw one of the massive double door in the middle of it half open. Asami quietly stepped inside.

The only light that made it in the bedroom came from the hallway behind him, and from the window on the opposite side, struggling to make it past the white curtains. Asami’s gaze fell on the foot of a bed. The rest of it was hidden in the dark, but as his eyes adjusted to the obscurity, he could make out the silhouette of someone in a half-seated position, propped up on thick pillows. The person’s every breathe sounded like a painful struggle.

Asami took a few carefully slow steps towards the bed.

“Hey Ryuichi,” came a wheezing that was once a seducing voice. “Long time no see.”

 

* * *

 

Akihito picked up his ringing smartphone and held it between his shoulder and ear while he kept typing on his keyboard. “Hello, you’ve successfully reached the office of the world’s most –”

“Come home early today. As soon as you can, actually.”

Akihito held his hands in suspension over his keyboard at Asami’s tone. It was commanding, but somehow it sounded different from usual… He decided to test the waters. “Well, I still have some work to do, so –”

“We need to talk.”

Akihito felt as if his blood had left to concentrate in his extremities. Before he could say anything, he heard Asami take a deep inhalation through the phone.

“You haven’t done anything wrong, and you are not in danger. We just need to talk about something that can’t be discussed over the phone.”

Akihito swallowed hard. His mouth felt awfully dry all of a sudden. “Y-Yeah. Okay.”

“Should I send someone to pick you up?” 

“No, I’m, uh… I’m nearby.”

“I’ll be waiting for you at home then.”

The call ended and Akihito sunk back in the cybercafé booth, his eyes staring into nothingness for a few seconds. Coming back to his senses, he gulped down his drink and hurriedly gathered his belongings.

The closer he got to home, the more he could feel the nervousness spread from his gut to the rest of his body. What could possibly agitate a man like Asami? The man quite literally ruled the world (well, Japan at least), both on the surface and underneath too. He had a small army at his disposal at all time, could make or break people and even influence politics and mafia organizations alike. The repercussions of his decisions had the potential to impact a whole continent and then some. Knowing that, if anything had the power to trouble the powerhouse that was Asami Ryuichi, it could not be any good.

Akihito met no guards on his way to the penthouse, and found only Asami’s shoes at the genkan. So it was really going to be a one-to-one discussion… Akihito’s voice came out a bit shaky as he announced his presence. A deafening silence answered him. He followed the hallway and peered into the living room.

The golden gaze that pierced right through him startled Akihito a little. Asami was sitting across the room, hunched forward with his legs spread and elbows resting on his knees. In front of him was a nearly empty glass of whiskey. Taking his eyes off his lover, Asami made a vague hand gesture. “Come sit down.”

Akihito obliged in silence. There was no anger in Asami’s tone. His face, however, carried an unusually wide range of emotions. Akihito could decipher traces of annoyance, worry, tiredness and even hurt.

Asami was now staring at his glass, his fingers interlaced. After a few unbearable seconds that felt like hours to Akihito, he lowered his head in an attempt to meet Asami’s gaze. The older man merely glanced at him, then downed the rest of his whiskey, put it back on the table, and straightened up a bit.

“This morning I received a letter from an acquaintance I had not heard from in years.”

Akihito arched an eyebrow in suspicion. “Good or bad acquaintance?”

The only direct experience he had had with one of Asami’s ‘’acquaintance’’ had been the mess with Liu Fei Long, and Akihito had ended up on the bad end of it all. He could not be blamed for his wariness after surviving that episode.

“That’s not the point.”

“And _a letter_ ? You got an _actual letter_? Like, hand-written on _paper_ and all? There are still people out there who –”

“Can you let me finish?” Asami snapped.

“Well I’d love to, but you haven’t exactly started, have you?!” Akihito spit back, louder than he intended. He knew it was unfair, but he could not handle this tense atmosphere. Whatever Asami wanted to tell him was obviously taking a toll on him as well. Akihito sighed, and forced his voice to be soft. “Let’s just… Start over, okay? Tell me what you have to tell me, I won’t interrupt. Promise.”

Akihito sat back and waited.

Asami looked up at him before turning his head away and inhale sharply. He poured himself another whiskey and twirled the glass in his hand, observing the liquid that matched the color of his eyes. “Ten years ago, I was doing business in Central America. Costa Rica. There, I met a woman through the business partner I was dealing with. She was in a difficult situation, asked me for help… I provided and then, well let’s just say that we became pretty intimate.”

Asami gulped down his whiskey as Akihito shifted uncomfortably in his seat and mumbled something along the lines of ‘’you don’t have to tell me that’’. Of course he figured Asami had had several lovers before him, but they never talked about it and Akihito did not want to know any detail anyway. Asami carried on with his story.

“It was nothing serious though, so when time came for me to return to Japan, we had no plans of seeing each other ever again. We went our own separate ways, and didn’t have any contact whatsoever… Until she came to Tokyo four years later...”

Akihito did not like wherever this story was headed. One part of his mind knew jumping to conclusions was ridiculous and useless, but another could not help but create painful scenarios. Asami had paused and was looking at Akihito’s fingers digging in the seat on either side of his thighs.

“It happened six years ago, Akihito. That was before you and I even knew –”

“Yeah, I know right? What did happen six years ago? And what– Why are you telling me all _this_? What’s your point?” Akihito’s voice sounded a bit strangled.

“She’s very ill. According to her letter, she has less than a week to go.”

“Asami, just… Rip the band-aid already!”

But Asami stayed silent for long, unbearable minutes, still not looking at Akihito’s face. The young man’s eyes widened in anxiety. He lifted his head to search Asami’s gaze. 

“What are you trying to tell me?” He asked slowly.

The breathy, shaky voice and pained look tugged at a string somewhere in Asami’s chest.

“Six years ago, we spent the night together… And according to her, a child was conceived.”

Akihito felt like his lungs had switched places with his stomach. He understood every word, but put together and in that order, they made no sense. How could such a short sentence carry so much…

He had not realized that he had gotten up and walked away a few steps until he felt Asami’s large hand on his upper arm. Akihito shrugged it off, but escaping Asami’s touch was a prowess he had yet to accomplish. The older man’s words resonated as an incomprehensible hubbub in Akihito’s skull while he tried to break free from the hands that kept coming back to his shoulders, his wrists, his arms, gripping tighter and tighter every time he managed to brush them off.

A cold, hard surface at his side. Feeling is body getting trapped between Asami’s and the wall, Akihito shut his eyes tight.

“I need…! I need a minute! Okay?”

Now silent, Asami moved to the side but kept his hand on his shoulder. Akihito slowly let himself slide against the wall until he was sitting on the floor. Asami descended with him, resting his weight on his heels. Gradually, the feeling of overcrowding disappeared, breathing became easier.

Kneading Akihito’s shoulder, Asami spoke again softly. “I know you’re upset. But honestly, for all I know at this point, this whole thing could be just a scamming attempt.”

Akihito raised his head a little and sighed. “Who would lie about something like _that_?” 

“A parent who wants their daughter to live a more comfortable life, I suppose…”

“Daughter?”

“Apparently, it’s a girl.” 

This was getting annoying. Akihito turned to Asami. “Can I see that letter?”

The warm hand left Akihito’s shoulder as Asami dug in his breast pocket. “I doubt you’ll be able to read it. She doesn’t speak Japanese, so it’s in English – I know, you’ve made considerable progress,” Asami cut off when he saw the young man get ready to retort. “But it’s cursive.”

Akihito unfolded the piece of paper, took a brief look at it, and gave it back with an exasperated sigh. Asami smirked fondly but made no remark. Akihito’s gaze returned to the floor and he stayed silent for a while as he gathered his thoughts.

“So what now?” he asked quietly after a while.

“I’m going to see if there’s any truth to what’s written here. Like I said, there’s no proof that–”

Suddenly able to identify the true reason of his anger, Akihito jumped to his feet. “You…! What did you have in mind, huh?! Did no one ever tell you about ‘’the birds and the bees’’ or what? How do you know you don’t have half a dozen offspring– no, a full dozen… Several dozens of… of… _babies_ out there?! How irresponsible…”

Asami’s eyes followed his fuming young lover pacing back and forth in front of him before getting up. “That’s very unlikely, _because_ ,” he raised his voice to cover Akihito’s, “I can count of my fingers the number of female partners I’ve been with, _including_ one-night-stands.”

Akihito sulked, arms crossed. “Well, one time is enough, ain’t it?” he muttered.

“She wasn’t supposed to be physically able to bear children…” Asami said, more to himself.

Akihito’s face softened at that, but Asami’s cellphone cut him off before he could even formulate his question in his head.

“Yes, Kirishima… Good. I’ll be down soon.” Asami put his phone away before turning his attention back to Akihito. “I should be back in two days, maybe three.”

“Wait, what if… “ Akihito bit his lower lip. “Let’s say, that the child is _not_ yours. What will you do?”

“Depends… Most likely find a nice family for her to be adopted by.”

They stayed silent for a moment. Akihito was back to looking at the floor, and did not move as Asami approached him slowly.

The tall man cupped his jaw, brushing his thumb along the cheek, and pressed his mouth against the blond head. “You already know my answer to your next question, don’t you?”

Akihito closed his eyes and sighed. Of course he knew. Then he squirmed a little, pretending to try and break free from the embrace. “Really, if you think I’m some shallow, self-centered bastard who will ask you to choose between me and the fruit of your womb, then… You’re clearly unworthy of me!”

Asami smiled against his young lover’s hair, then grabbed his jaw and looped an arm across his shoulders. The kiss was infinitely tender. Akihito kept his eyes closed even after Asami broke it.

“Two days. Wait for me.” was whispered against his temple, followed by a hand ruffling his hair. And Asami was out.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Twitter: @reya_wrights


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all those of you who expressed their interest for this story already! You truly made my week ^_^
> 
> A quick note on chapter updates before you dive into this new one: I do a lot of things in life beside writing, so I won't always be able to upload a new chapter every week... However, I can promise you that I will do my very best to update AT LEAST every second month! *fingers crossed*

“Well? Come closer. Ryuichi.”

Asami gritted his teeth. That wheezing voice and laboured breathing really sounded terrible. Now that his eyes were used to the obscurity, he could see the impressive chest heaving of the silhouette on the bed. If breathing was that hard for her, talking must be painful as hell. Asami saw a chair waiting against a wall, and dragged it carelessly across the floor to the bed before sitting on it, throwing one leg over the other.

“I’m ready to hear your explanation. Carla.”

“…You have every right to be angry. But don’t expect me to apologize for keeping you in the dark for all these years.”

“Let me be absolutely clear.” Asami interrupted sharply. “I won’t believe anything you say about me being the father of your child before I get scientific proof of it.”

“Oh by all means, feel free to run all the tests you want.” she snapped. “The results will all be the same.”

“Well aren’t you confident…” Asami snarled, bitter.

Her laugh quickly turned into a coughing fit, so violent that Asami felt an unfamiliar and displeasing sentiment of helplessness.

“Oh, Ryuichi,” she said after she had regained her composure. “You’re the only man I’ve been with for _months_ before or after that night at your club…”

 

They stayed quiet for a minute, but there were questions that had been gnawing at Asami, burning his lips for too many hours now.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” he asked bitterly.

Carla made a sound of genuine surprise. “I thought it was obvious? I was scared that you would claim your parental rights and take her away from me! Even if we had come to an agreement, neither of us would have left their home country, and she would have spent half her life on planes. That’s no living for a child…”

“…So you just decided all on your own to keep all that away from me?”

“Say you would have done any different, had it been you in my place. Say it, I dare you.” she hissed.

Asami could not see her face in the obscurity, but he could vividly remember Carla’s expressions of anger. Head slightly tilted to the side, brow furrowed, nose wrinkled up in a snarl… Clearly this argument would go nowhere. Asami gave her some time to catch her breath before moving on to the next sensitive topic.

“In your letter, you mentioned your brother…”

Carla’s breathing accelerated at the mention of her twin brother, her voice gradually turning into shattered cries. “Oscar… Oscar was killed… Over a year ago…”

Asami saw her hand rise to cover her mouth as she wept. He exhaled softly and finally hunched forward and grabbed the one that rested at her side. He remembered Carla’s hands as large yet thin, but what he held at the moment was just skin on bones. Asami slowly rubbed his thumb over it. “Tell me what happened to the two of you.”

Carla ignored the question, seemingly too lost in her thoughts. “I felt it, you know. When he died, the exact moment he died, I wasn’t there but I felt it in my soul, in my heart…” She inhaled and exhaled deeply several times before she could continue. “I didn’t know I was ill then… I guess it’s payment for my sins… Being separated from the ones I love most…”

Asami repressed a sigh. _So dramatic_. He stroked her hand a while longer, and found himself quite surprised to see that, after all these years, he still remembered exactly how to move his fingers on her skin to help her calm down… But now was not the time to let the memories fill his head.

“I can get you the best treatments and doctors in the world.”

She scoffed.  

“One lung left, cancer, infection… No, I won’t live to see the Sun rise, Ryuichi.”

“You have always been so dramatic…”

“Lately,” she cut off, “I’ve been more of a realistic.”

Asami looked down at their hands. Carla had entwined their fingers, safe for her thumb that mirrored Asami’s slow caressing movements. They both fell silent.

 

* * *

 

As the chief of security and personal bodyguard to one of the most powerful men in Asia, Suoh Kazumi’s abilities were unmatched. He was the best at what he did and no detail could escape his senses, no matter the surroundings.

While he waited for his boss to emerge from the room, Suoh had picked a spot that allowed him to see without being seen, although he was not hiding. He stood silent and motionless between two windows, in the middle of the building. From there, he could see the whole room, including the spiral staircase at the back, and part of the door in the hallway his boss had followed.

A draft of wind, coming from what Suoh had identified as the kitchen next to the entrance, occasionally entered the large room and played in the curtains. Only when the wind fell could he hear the soft murmur of his boss’ conversation. The only light came from the two big, yellow hanging lamps in the entrance hall and the hallway, failing to illuminate much of the large room. But the obscurity did not bother Suoh at all. If anything, he prefered operating in the dark.

A rolling noise caught his attention. The priest, Pedro, came from further down the hallway, pulling a medium size suitcase behind him. He walked past Suoh without seeing him, and left his cargo near the kitchen. Suoh heard the priest sigh, then watched him as he headed to the spiral staircase on the opposite side of the unlit room. Up there, Pedro knocked on a door before walking in, shutting it back behind him.  

Quiet returned for a while, until a metallic noise disturbed it. The door upstairs opened again and hushed voices reached Suoh’s ears. A small form hurriedly made its way down the stairs and crossed the room. As the light gradually covered it, Suoh noticed that the small form was actually a small human. A little girl, no higher than his mid-thigh, dressed in an old-fashioned but elegant flared dark dress and assorted shoes that clattered on the floor.

Suoh knew then that, no matter what the future held, he would never forget the look of anticipation on the child’s face as she rushed past him, oblivious to his presence. He watched her stop just before the door in the hallway, feverishly arrange her dress and hair before slowly walking in with all the contained excitation a five-year old could demonstrate.

 

* * *

 

“What is she like?”  

Carla inhaled sharply and let out a questioning noise. She must have dozed off.

“The little one. What is she like?” Asami repeated.

“Ah. Her name is Joaquina.” Asami could hear a smile of pride in Carla’s voice. “She turned five last Summer. Loves reading. Very intelligent.”

“Does she speak Japanese?”

“She knows English… I talked about you a lot, you know?”

“…and what did you say?” Asami scoffed softly.

“I told her that her _Tata_ is a handsome, serious businessman who wears sharp suits, works a lot and lives in a country far away where it snows in Winter… I also said that you would buy her the prettiest dresses and take her out to fancy parks and restaurants.”

Asami scoffed again and Carla squeezed his hand.

“Hey… Would you like to meet her now? She’s waiting impatiently in her room right now. Shall I call her down?”

 

It was time. In his adult life, nervousness and anxiety were feelings that Asami easily managed to keep at bay – except sometimes when a certain cheeky blond brat was involved – but today they had been omnipresent. Asami nodded, letting go of Carla’s hand. She reached out somewhere on the wall and pressed on what must have been an intercom button. Only a few seconds passed before the noise of small, hurried steps approached. Asami got up and turned, founding himself standing in the light as a little girl pushed the door to open further.

The child staring at him had jet black, wavy hair cut down to the middle of her neck. It was parted on the side and held with a barrette, leaving the forehead naked. Her large eyes bored a hole into him, below naturally furrowed eyebrows, just like his.

Carla made a throat noise behind them. The little girl blinked before grabbing the sides of her dress to perform a curtsy.

“Good evening, my name is Joaquina.” She glanced at her mother behind Asami for reassurance. “I’m… Your child…”

She held her breath then, still staring at Asami, as if expecting something in return. He simply gave a nod and a dry ‘’nice to meet you’’.

Apparently it was enough. A smile split the child’s face from ear to ear, and she ran around him to go and sit by her mother, who showered her in caresses and words of praise in Spanish. Asami watched but stayed rooted in his spot. Carla suddenly grabbed the little girl’s chin, forcing her to look her in the eyes, and switched back to English in a voice she tried to make strong and commanding. 

“Joaquina. You remember what I said about this day?”

“Yeah… I– You go to Heaven, and I go with Tata… To Japan!” Carla made an insisting noise for the child to continue. “And… You will watch over me, and I should be obedient, and nice, and work hard in school…” 

When she was done with her recitation, the little girl slowly let her head drop towards her mother’s chest, who wrapped her arms around her. Asami watched the whole display, helpless.

 

After a long moment, Carla grabbed the small shoulders and pushed her child back. “Go now. And say your goodbyes to Pedro! You’re in good hands now. Go, and don’t you turn back.”

Joaquina hopped off the bed and slowly walked away, her head cast down, and stopped in front of Asami.

“I’m ready to go now.” she said in a toneless voice before resuming her walk out.

Asami closed his eyes and sighed. “Hey. Joaquina.” The name sounded so awkward in his throat. The child stopped again but did not look back. “There should be a very tall man in a suit hiding somewhere on this floor. Will you find him and tell him we’ll be leaving soon?”

She made an agreeing noise and pushed the door behind her. Asami doubted that little ‘’hide and seek’’ would be enough to turn her attention to something less grim, but it would have to do for now. He quickly returned to Carla’s bedside as she called his name in a strangled, barely audible voice.

“Ryuichi, take care of her, okay? Protect her at all cost, promise me...”

“I will. You have my word.”

“...I don’t know where I will end up, but… Ryuichi… I swear… If you fail to keep her from harm, I will find you, no matter where, and I will beat you–”

“Then,” Asami cut gently, “I promise to be twice as careful. Now, about Oscar… Do you want me to –”

“No. That wouldn’t bring him back anyway, would it?”

Funny, Asami thought, how some people changed when their end was coming. He was used to seeing that change of behavior and yet… Ten years ago, he would not even have had to ask. Asami noticed Carla’s breathing becoming weaker by the second. So she may have not exaggerated when she had said that she would not make it to the morning, after all…

“Should I call Pedro in?”

“No… No need. Ryuichi?” She sounded like she was about to ask something, but reconsidered. “Go now. Take care…”

Asami hunched forward, cupped her face with one hand, and pressed his lips against her forehead. Her hair smelled like citrus, just like it always had. Just how he remembered it. They stayed like this as if time had stopped for the whole world but the two of them, until she let out a long, relaxed sigh that felt warm against his neck… And the wheezing ceased.

 

* * *

 

It was only when the fireflies dancing before his eyes started blocking his sight almost completely that Kirishima closed his laptop. He sunk in his seat and removed his glasses, rubbing his eyes. He had been awake for the past twenty hours or so, except for a quick nap of roughly half an hour at some point. He was clearly losing his fight against exhaustion, and knew it was time to surrender.

Kirishima startled awake, and the pilot apologized for the noise before informing him that the jet was ready to go whenever desired. His phone buzzed just as he was reaching for it.

“Yes?”

“We are fifteen minutes away. Asami-sama wants to take off immediately.”

“Of course. Is there... “ Kirishima paused, choosing his words carefully. “Any _additional_ _weight load_ we should know about?”

Suoh’s voice carried a faint trace of uneasiness. “One extra passenger with luggage.”

Kirishima made a sound of acknowledgement and put the phone down. So there had been at least a few elements of truth in that letter in the end…

 

At Sion, all postal mail addressed to Kirishima Kei first went through one of the two assistants working directly under him, and all addressed to Asami Ryuichi had to go through Kirishima in the first place. Whether the mail reached their final destinator depended on the decision of the person below them in the hierarchy.

Since their first meeting, Kirishima had never been particularly fond of Carla Gómez Aguilar. That feeling went beyond cultural differences: she would not take ‘’no’’ for an answer, was an extremely stubborn and direct woman who could be absolutely ruthless once she had decided she wanted something. Above all, she loved teasing the people around her way too much. Although he did not like her methods and overall behavior, Kirishima did not hate her. Because despite everything, Carla was also undoubtedly kind and caring to the people who mattered to her.

The door of the plane opened, pulling Kirishima from his thoughts. Asami walked behind a little girl who looked around silently with googly eyes, mouth agape. Kirishima had not realized he was mirroring her expression until he felt his boss’ hard look on him. When he had first read that letter, Kirishima had not believe any of it to be true. To him, it was either a scamming attempt at best, or a trap at worst. But the boss had insisted, and his decisions were final.

Asami gently pushed the girl towards the seat next to Kirishima’s, on the other side of the aisle. Her face fell for a second when Suoh took the seat next to her and Asami turned back to sit at the front on the plane. As the bodyguard helped her buckle up, she went back to looking around. Her gaze eventually fell on Kirishima.

There was another thing he did not like about Carla: her insolent habit of looking people right in the eye, until it became uncomfortable. Kirishima remembered those silvery grey orbs fixing him, years ago… but the eyes he was sinking in now were different. These had spouting sparks of gold around the iris. The little girl smiled at him softly, tilting her head to the side, and all doubts left Kirishima then. Paternity tests would be useless. On this child’s face, her parents would be together forever.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you're wondering how to properly pronounce Joaquina's name, you can check with Google Translate. Just make sure to choose "Spanish" as the starting language, and click on the little speaker to hear it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A wild OC appears! (sorry, I had to)  
> Also, I know you've been patiently waiting for "The Meet" and thou shalt be rewarded!

Dr. Fudo Satsuko was a remarquable surgeon and diagnostician. Earning respect and recognition for her abilities had not been easy in this merciless misogynistic world, but she had been gifted with both brains and determination. She had maintained excellent grades throughout medical school and her success rate on the operating table spoke for itself.

She had been working in a private clinic in the outskirts of Tokyo for two years when its founder passed away. It came as no surprise to anyone considering his advanced age, but strange rumors regarding succession spread fast. One said that he had not appointed anyone as administrator of the clinic in his place. Another, even more disturbing, claimed that total ownership would go to a single person, namely a young businessman who had nothing to do with the medical world.

Dr. Fudo did not pay it much attention. It was often said about her that her technical skills were as exceptional as her social ones were lacking, and she did not mind it. All that mattered to her was to save or improve lives by fixing human bodies, be paid what she was owed for it, and get to choose who she deemed worthy to help her do so.

But when she arrived at the clinic one morning, she was told that the new owner wanted to meet her immediately.

Her, specifically.

That was how she had met Asami Ryuichi.

 

* * *

 

Out of the sixteen-something hours long flight that took them back to Japan, Joaquina spent the first five exploring the plane, as she had never been on one before. Her high-pitched laugh filled the aircraft when they entered a zone of turbulence, and Suoh struggled to put her back in her seat.

She then fell asleep on his arm for about four hours, and woke up hungry for fruits. Suoh took her to the middle of the plane so she could choose them. She ate a banana and an apple, then carefully picked three more fruits. Before Suoh could say anything, she forced one in his hand and hopped back to the seats to put the others on Kirishima and Asami’s respective tables without a word. Joaquina then locked herself in the bathroom for a considerable amount of time and sang in Spanish at the top of her little lungs all the while she was in there.

Kirishima got up and pretended to be looking for something so he could evaluate his boss’ mood. Asami seemed to be asleep, but upon careful observation, the weight of his head was not resting on his hand enough for that.

When she returned, Joaquina climbed on the seat next to Kirishima, who was back to working on his laptop. She stared at the screen in wonderment as the characters typed by the secretary changed automatically. After a while, she started asking him the meaning of each character.

That was when Asami raised his voice to tell her to be quiet, and the only time he spoke during the whole flight. Joaquina sat perfectly still and silent for nearly two hours after that, until she turned to Kirishima and asked in a whisper if he had games on his computer. Suoh then managed to keep her busy and quiet by giving her a two-day old newspaper and a pen, until she fell deeply asleep some ninety minutes before landing.

 

* * *

 

Dr. Fudo sighed as she sat down, placing the aid kit in the seat next to her.

The deal she had agreed to with Asami Ryuichi years ago when he took possession of the clinic was as generous as it was shady. Officially, she was in charge, but was free of all the administrative and legal tasks, which were handled by a team he had selected. She could operate however she pleased and her budget was virtually unlimited.

The various constraints imposed, however, were not negotiable. For example, being available to treat the owner or whoever he told her to, no questions asked, was the top priority, and an entire floor had to be ready for that at all time. Since then, Dr. Fudo had found herself digging in bodies for bullets quite often, and, in the more recent years, treating a young blonde man who was to be taken care of even if he had no more than a scratch. She did not mind, though, and respected her part of the contract. No questions asked.

Overnight, her salary and career had skyrocketed. And as Asami Ryuichi’s power grew, so did the clinic. New aisles and medical equipment were a good indicator of how well whatever businesses he took part in were doing. Like this latest parking lot for his private use only…

Dr. Fudo was pulled from her thoughts when she heard the screeching of tires. Three black cars were soon waiting in front of her. She grabbed the aid kit as she got up and walked up to the car in the middle, where a guard already stood by the door. As ridiculous as she still found them, she was used to these little processions by now.

 

* * *

 

Asami watched the doctor and ever-severe expression slide in the car. Since their first meeting, she had always looked annoyed and was almost discourteous. She performed extremely well however, so he overlooked her attitude.

“So, who cut their–” Her eyes grew wide in confused horror as she laid them on the sleeping bundle laying next to Asami. “What… the hell have you–”

“I need a DNA test, sensei.”

“Test… As in, DNA _parentage_ test?”

Asami’s face was hard as stone. Dr. Fudo approached and kneeled by the seat. The child barely stirred when she examined her.

“Alright. Whose DNA should I compare hers to?” she asked, rummaging through her kit.

“Mine. And I need something else, too.”

 

* * *

 

Akihito had managed to busy himself by separating all the stuff he kept in the guest room into two: what he used on a regular basis, and the rest. He had then packed everything up in various bags and boxes he had found around the penthouse, and had spent the rest of the day dragging them from one room to the other, stacking them up hazardously, jumping when the laws of gravity eventually caught up, forcing him to start all over again.

After several hours, exhausted, Akihito had sat on the single bed that was once ‘’his’’ and… fell into deep slumber, drool running from his mouth. He did not even stir when large hands manoeuvred him carefully. He was only vaguely aware of being pulled into an embrace and carried to a warmer, more comfortable place.

 

It was already bright outside when Akihito woke up. Asami’s scent and body heat still lingered in the sheets, but the man was nowhere to be found. Mind still clouded with sleep, ruffling through his hair and rubbing his eyes, Akihito dragged his feet past the empty living room. He was about to reach the kitchen when he heard the noise of the fridge closing.

“Asami –”

It was not Asami. Or rather, it was not _the_ Asami he had expected. A hand still in his hair, Akihito found himself face to face with a child clutching a bottle of fruit juice.

 _His_ bottle of fruit juice.

They both stared at each other, perfectly still. The little girl looked like a small animal waiting for the subject of their surprise to make the first move before deciding theirs. _Flight or fight._ Akihito slowly bent his knees until he was sitting on his heels. They were at eye level now.

“Wow. Damn. Cancel the DNA tests, I guess… You look so much like him!”

The child blinked, looking a little uneasy. She held the bottle in Akihito’s direction and spoke in a language he had never heard before. Communication was going to be challenging from now on, Akihito could feel it.

 

* * *

 

“Congratulations, I guess.”

“What are the chances of a fake positive?”

“None, basically. I ran three tests, by the way.”

Asami hid his sigh by blowing the smoke of his cigarette. He closed the file Dr. Fudo had handed him and passed it to Kirishima. Brow furrowed, he looked outside the window as the Sun rose over Tokyo, its rays reflecting in the windows of the buildings the limo drove by.

“Do you even know what it takes to raise a child?” she asked after a moment. Kirishima lifted his gaze at the insolent question. Asami cliqued his tongue, still looking at the city.

“You don’t even have children yourself, sensei.”

“Exactly.”

The rest of the ride was spent in awkward, heavy silence.

 

In contrast, they entered a penthouse filled with loud voices and bubbling laughter.

“No! Not ‘’Aki-RI-to’’ it’s ‘’Aki-HI-to’’. C’mon, try again! A-ki-HI-to!”

“A-ki… RI-to!”

The young man let out a half-hearted desperate strangled noise as the child’s laugh exploded. Following the voices, Asami walked silently to the kitchen and found the two casually sitting on the floor, in the middle of the room.

“Well… I guess you can call me ‘’Aki’’ for now then…”

Joaquina was about to say something, but her eyes landed on Asami and her smile disappeared instantly. She quickly got up and took a step back. Curious, Akihito turned around and made a move to get up as well.

“Hey, you’re back! You could have told me tha–”

Only when he saw Dr. Fudo standing behind Asami did Akihito realize that he was still wearing nothing but a tank top and boxer briefs.

 

* * *

 

After changing into something more decent, Akihito came back and found Dr. Fudo examining Joaquina in the living room. Asami was there too, sitting in the armchair, occasionally translating the doctor’s questions to the child in a toneless voice.

Usually, when coming back from trips, Asami would track Akihito down around the penthouse and jump him like an animal – unless he came home still smelling of iron, where he would shower first – but the sex that followed was always earth-shattering, making Akihito’s whole body shake uncontrollably for long moments, tears beading at the corners of his eyes while he let out obscene moans in a voice he could not recognize as his… That was just Asami’s way of expressing how much he had missed his young lover.

But today, he had barely touched or even greeted him.

 

Although Akihito’s tongue burned with a thousand questions, he knew it was better to refrain for now. A week ago, Asami was not even aware of being a father, and suddenly he found himself with a child he did not even know, for her very existence had been hidden from him… Anyone in such a situation would be awfully confused and even pained, and this big-shot crime-lord was no exception.

Akihito quietly walked to stand at Asami’s back and extended a hand, letting his fingertips brush the shoulder through the shirt. _I’m here._ Asami released the softest sigh of relief, perceptible to none but Akihito. The older man was usually the one who appeased him, but Akihito was capable of anchoring him just as well.

“I’m gonna fix us something to eat, eh?” then, louder: “Sensei! Will you be joining us for lunch?”

She declined, as expected. Akihito gently squeezed his lover’s shoulder before retreating to the kitchen. He heard Asami seeing the doctor off moments later. Joaquina was at his side immediately, her adorable smile back on her face. She stood on tippy toes to observe his cooking and moved around him so as not to be in his way as he prepared the meal.

“Hurry up and teach her to speak Japanese, okay?” he babbled as he heard Asami’s steps approaching. “I don’t know how to translate ‘’ _gyudon_ ’’– Wait, is it even translatable…? And what if she hates beef, huh? She looks like she wants to help too, that’s cute, right? But I can’t even give her something to –”

“Don’t worry about it.” Asami said something in the child’s language and she rushed out of the kitchen to sit at the dining table. “From tomorrow on and until all arrangements are made, a pediatric nurse from Fudo’s clinic will come here to watch over her.”

Akihito turned around to face Asami. “Arrangements?”

“She didn’t enter Japan legally. She doesn’t even have a passport. Until all the paperwork is dealt with, she doesn’t leave this apartment.”

“I see… And why a _nurse_? Why not just… I don’t know, one of your gorillas?”

“My men are not used to children enough for that. Besides, having someone around who knows how to handle trauma won’t be unnecessary.”

Leaning against the counter, Asami had folded his arms across his chest. Akihito could not remember ever seeing him look so grave. Before he could say anything, Asami inhaled sharply as he lifted his gaze to the ceiling.

“Her mother died.” he exhaled, “She knew she was dying so she prepared her child for it, that’s why she seems to be doing so _okay_ now…”

Akihito bit his lip at the bitterness Asami’s voice carried. The older man was hurting, obviously, yet did not look like he wanted to be comforted in any way though, which left Akihito feeling powerless. Maybe Asami did not want to talk about the whole thing… but maybe he would later? Perhaps all he needed was some time to process it all…

 

“Akihito. Lunch is about to burn.”

Akihito glanced at the pot, yelped and rushed to remove it from the heat just in time.

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember when I said I would update the tags accordingly with each new chapter posted?  
> Yeeeaaaahh ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Asami had kept his suit and tie on despite the hot and humid weather, but it was only bearable because he had ditched the waistcoat.

As they progressed through the property, Asami’s guards stopped following their boss one after the other to place themselves in strategic positions on Suoh’s silent orders. Though they did not know the place, the group’s moves were as fluid as if they had rehearsed for months. By the time Asami got to face the host, only Kirishima and Suoh remained behind him.

Emilio Montoya was a sweaty, chubby man in his early forties who welcomed his guests in a raspy yet loud voice. All smiles, he walked up to the three men with his arms wide open. “Ah, Mister Asami! Welcome to Costa Rica!”

He looked like he was about to take Asami’s hand in his, but reconsidered when he saw Suoh’s menacing figure move closer behind his boss. Montoya did not lose his composure though, and offered to show them the rest of his property. He made small talk with Asami as they walked, until the group reached the backyard. A fence delimited the property, beyond which a forest stretched. They turned a corner and encountered a pool buried in the ground in the middle of a terrasse.

A peacock chair stood on the side of the pool that faced the forest, and in that chair sat what Asami thought to be a corpse for a split second. Forearms drooping on either side of the armrests and legs extended in front of her, a thin woman clad in a long dress sat perfectly still, looking straight ahead.

Her brow furrowed over heavy lids, she shot a death glare at the group of men when she noticed them approaching. She promptly got up and walked inside the house without a second glance, despite the ridiculous cajoling words Montoya threw in her direction.

“Ah, she really has bad manners, but she’s a beauty, so…”

“Who was that?” Asami enquired.

“My wife, Carla. Don’t worry, you won’t be dealing with her.”

 

* * *

 

Although he had planned to spend the day at home, Asami just had time to finish his lunch before Kirishima informed him of matters that absolutely required his presence.

“Just go, it’s fine. I wasn’t going anywhere today anyway.” Akihito shrugged. He managed to finally pull a semblance of a smile from Asami when he added: “But it will cost you! Don’t think I’ll drop my babysitting fees just for you!”

Asami got up and loomed over the smaller man, stopping mere inches from his face. “I’m sure I can find a way to repay you that will leave you satisfied, Akihito.” he purred.

 _Bullseye_.

Akihito failed to stop both the pink tint and the defiant smile from spreading on his face. _This_ was the Asami he knew and loved. The insufferable, domineering, sexy bastard with his shit-eating smirk and his sexual innuendos, never caring about the people around–

The pink tint became beet-red as Akihito turned his head and saw Joaquina, still sitting in her chair, her eyes darting from one man to the other, a smile splitting her face in two. Asami seized the occasion to move closer, and when Akihito turned back to him, his face inevitably collided with the older man’s. Asami caught him in a fierce kiss, a hand at his neck to hold him in place. Akihito flailed helplessly and spluttered against the hungry mouth until he was let go of. Joaquina’s face had turned the same shade as Akihito’s, except she was still smiling while he looked horrified.

“You…! Bastard…! Learn to have some shame!” Akihito gestured towards Joaquina.

Outraged insults followed Asami until he left the penthouse.

 

* * *

 

After Asami’s departure, Akihito and Joaquina spent two solid hours hanging around the penthouse together, stating the name of basically every objects they encountered in their respective language. Only when the other had correctly said the word in the foreign tongue did they move on to the next item. Joaquina was doing surprisingly well but Akihito really struggled, which made the child laugh a lot at his mispronunciations.

After that, Akihito digged for his collection of photography books, and scattered them on the living room’s coffee table for Joaquina to pick. She went through nearly half a dozen of them before falling asleep. Akihito took the opportunity to do some work and settled down next to her on the couch with his laptop.

_Her mother died._

Now that the room was silent, Asami’s words suddenly resonated in Akihito’s head. Asami was not just bitter about being left in the dark regarding the existence of his offspring. He was _mourning_ the loss of a past lover. This person was someone Asami had shared something so special with that, when summoned by a simple letter, he had rushed and traveled to the other side of the planet to meet them…

In the early stages of their relationship, Asami had made sure to chase away Akihito’s anxiety regarding his status and prime importance in his life. But it had apparently never completely gone away… If anything, it had just gone to sleep, waiting for an opportunity to rear its ugly head back.

 

* * *

 

Asami came back home minutes before midnight, which was early by his standards. The penthouse was lit only by the neighboring buildings, and colors danced on the wall opposed to the living room. No cliqueting sounds meant Akihito was most likely watching TV. Asami approached the living room in silence… and stopped dead in his tracks, barely managing to hold back a gasp.

 _She_ was there.

Carla was sitting in a rocking chair, one foot pushing steadily against some wooden balustrade. An infinitely tender smile illuminated her face as she looked at the toddler she held. The child, who was busy examining her mother’s long hand, abruptly turned her face to the camera. Carla eventually followed her daughter’s gaze. Despite the video’s rather poor quality, Asami felt himself being swallowed by those silvery eyes that were at the same time so cold yet so warm, so terrifying and seductive…

The image suddenly changed to the backs of a man and a child walking on a beach. Asami looked around and found both Joaquina and Akihito lying on their side on the large couch facing the TV. But only one of them was awake. Joaquina was propped on a thick cushion and watched the screen with a blank expression. She was perfectly still, safe for her hand that played mechanically in Akihito’s hair, softly pulling strands between her fingers and releasing them. No wonder he had fallen asleep.

Joaquina’s eyes quickly darted in Asami’s direction as he walked into the living room but did not quite land on him. Asami positioned himself behind the couch, resting his forearms on the backrest. Seeing the tangled mess of cables on the floor by the TV, he could easily picture Akihito digging relentlessly in his stuff until he found a way to play the old videotapes for the little girl.

Asami brought his attention back to the TV as the scene displayed on the screen changed again. Laughing, Carla put down the child she was holding on her hip before arranging her dress as she tried to regain her composure. She then started singing with the most exaggerated attitude, eyes closed and a hand on her heart, as she sang some old song about love, soul, and blood. _Always so dramatic…_

A noise made Asami look down to the couch again. Joaquina had tried – and failed miserably – to cover her sniffle by taking a long inhalation through her nose. This young child trying to hide her crying made something tighten in Asami’s chest. He reached down slowly and laid a hand on her shoulder. It was big enough to cover nearly half of her arm. She tensed up under his touch, but Asami stayed there.

Grounding. Securing.

If it worked with Akihito, it should work with her too. Asami felt her body relax slowly under his hand, and she fell into a deep slumber before the tape even ended. Asami made sure she was really asleep before moving silently around the couch to turn the TV off without looking at the screen. He was oblivious to Akihito’s stirring.

“Leave it. I’ll do it.” Sitting up, Akihito rubbed his eyes. “You take her to bed.”

 

* * *

 

Asami expected Akihito to have gone to bed already. Instead, he found the young man in the hallway that led to the bedroom, leaning against the wall with his arms folded across his chest.

“How are you?”

“How are _you_?!” Akihito’s voice was harsh, but it was concern and worry that showed on the emotionally transparent face.

“Come here.”

Akihito waited a few seconds before slowly walking in the older man’s direction… and stopped halfway. _You come here._ If Asami knew anything, it was that he would never grow tired of his young lover’s defiant character. A look of anticipation bloomed on Akihito’s face as he approached, stopping mere inches from him.

Akihito felt himself being swallowed by the intense golden gaze before Asami tilted his head to the side and leaned down, slowly, until his lips brushed against the young man’s. They wrapped their arms around each other when Asami’s tongue demanded entry in Akihito’s mouth. The muscle’s movements soon grew strong enough to push the whole blonde head back as Asami deepened the kiss, kneading and groping the smaller man in all the right places. His face flushed, Akihito was already letting out breathy moans into the other’s mouth… until Asami suddenly broke the kiss and rested his head in the crook of his neck, holding the slender body tight against his.  

“Um… Asami?” Akihito softly tapped on a shoulder blade after a moment and felt the head move up until lips brushed his ear.

“I’m going to shower. When I’m done, I want to find you, naked, on the bed.”

Akihito’s brain short-circuited at the demand that was growled in his ear, and Asami had already disappeared in the bathroom before it could even reboot properly and come up with something to retort.

 

* * *

 

Asami turned off the light as soon as he came out of the bathroom, letting only that of the nearby buildings guide him. Akihito laid on his side, covered up to the shoulders with a light white bed sheet, his slender silhouette glowing in the city lights. What a sight… and yet…

“I told you to be _on_ the bed, not _in_.” Asami smirked.

“You do realize it’s freaking January, right?”

“Oh don’t worry, I won’t let you be cold for long.”

Stark naked, skin and hair still damp, Asami made his way to the bed and heard Akihito’s breath flutter as the light covered him gradually. The strong thighs first, the impressive and already semi-erect length then, the salient abs soon followed by the stunning pectorals and biceps…

“You’re staring.”

Laying on his side as he was, about half of Akihito’s face was hidden behind his forearms. But the deep blush under the glinting hazel eyes was still visible even in the semi-obscurity.

“So what if I am?” Akihito smirked in return.

“ _So_ , it’s not fair.”

Asami fisted the bed sheet before pulling it clean off both the bed and Akihito in one swift movement, making the younger man gasp and tense up for a second only. Asami then climbed on the bed on all four, like a predator stalking its prey. Akihito watched him and waited still, shuddering when Asami’s hand caressed the back of his thigh, slowly working its way up the plump behind, the hips, the slender back and shoulder, before going back down. Asami’s mouth soon joined his hand, and for a long moment all he did was kiss, knead, caress, and nibble at Akihito’s skin, almost reverently, until the younger man let out soft sighs of pleasure and trembled under the touch.

He was about to call Asami’s name when the other suddenly withdrew entirely, even getting off the bed, as indicated by the shifting of the mattress. Akihito made a move to support himself on his elbow, searching. “A… Asami?”

“Prepare for me. Stretch yourself out for me, Akihito.”

Akihito shuddered again at the demand, failing to repress a moan. The creaking noise behind him told him Asami must have sat down somewhere on the other side of the room.

 _A show._ Asami wanted a show.

Propping his knee higher on the mattress, Akihito slipped two fingers in his mouth, making sure to coat them in saliva, before reaching down and behind. Although he could not quite see where Asami was, he heard the low hum when he arched his back a little and massaged the ring of muscles.

“You might want to work more fingers in there, Akihito.” came the growl once the two fingers slid in and out easily.

“I… I can’t reach like you can… Asami… Come and help me…?”

The both chuckled at Akihito’s overdone porny voice. Asami climbed back on the bed, this time _over_ the slender body, licking and nipping his way up to Akihito’s ear.

“Spread wide.”

After three years of living together under the same roof, and since Asami’s libido showed no sign of diminution ‘’despite his advancing age’’ as Akihito would sometimes half-heartedly complain, his body had become incredibly and gratifyingly flexible. He could now spread his thighs at a nearly perfect 180° angle while staying flat on the bed, and Asami himself got a scare once during a session in the secret room when the backbone had arched so much it looked like it might have snapped.

Deliberately peeping behind him, Akihito did as instructed, groaning when his already dripping erection rubbed against the mattress. Asami was on him in no time, resting his knees in the back of Akihito’s and his elbows on either sides of the blonde head. Letting his forehead drop on the bed, the young man let his hands roam and caress the muscular arms around him. Asami had slicked himself up already, and was now slowly rubbing his length back on forth between Akihito’s cheeks, leaving him panting.

“Asa– Please… Put it in already… _Ryuichi…_ ”

It was only during intimate moments like this that Asami’s given name escaped his lover’s lips, and each time it affected him like lightning bolting through him. Settling his whole weight over the slender body, Asami slid his hands over Akihito’s shoulders all the way down his arms and pulled the limbs in front of them, entwining their fingers as he pressed slowly but unrelently against the puckered entrance.

Rendered a panting, moaning, trembling mess, Akihito bit down on the sheet. Out of hands, Asami took an ear between his teeth and tugged just as he fully sheathed himself.

“ _Ahn…!_ ”

“Relax, Akihito. You’ve got me all in already.”

“Then… _Move_ , dammit!”

Mouthing at Akihito’s neck, Asami started rolling his hips, thrusting the young man into the bed, revelling in the warmth of his body and his panting moans.

“Ryuichi…” Akihito turned his head to the side, searching through heavy, fluttering lids. Asami caught him in an off-center, messy kiss due to his unrelenting thrusts that rocked the lithe body. He felt it shudder under him and Akihito came, moaning into his mouth. Asami bit down hard on the soft spot between the neck and shoulder as he chased his own orgasm, letting out a guttural groan and spilling deep inside Akihito as it crashed through him.

 

* * *

 

Coming down from his high, Akihito was vaguely aware of being cleaned then pulled over Asami’s chest as usual. He was usually quick to fall asleep, but as soon as he closed his eyes, images from earlier came back vividly in his mind.

Did Asami used to do _this_ with _her_ too? Did he use the same vocabulary he did with Akihito, when it was just the two of them? Did he also pull her over his chest when they were done, falling asleep skin to skin with their heartbeats matching–

“You’re thinking too loud. Stop it.” The growl was certainly sleepy, but also annoyed, bitter. Akihito pushed to his elbows with difficulty. Asami’s eyes were closed, but the brow was slightly creased.

“Say Asami… Was she… in love with you?”

Akihito felt the grip on the back of his neck tighten just a bit as golden slits pierced through him.

“What did I tell you about mentioning other people when we’re together?”

“Oh, cut the territorial act for a minute!” Akihito unsuccessfully tried to shrug the heavy hand off. He lowered his face back on the chest, muttering: “It’s normal for me to be asking questions, isn’t it? You got a letter from her and then dropped everything and went–”

Akihito felt his body being abruptly pushed over and landed flat on his back. Pinning one of his wrist down, Asami loomed over him, looking furious.

“I _‘’dropped everything’’_?” he hissed. “I could have called you from the plane, you know?”

Instinctively, Akihito had braced his free forearm against the muscular chest and tried to push the older man. “That’s… True, but still… Try and understand my position! What if… What if it was the other way around? What if it was _me_ who had been contacted by an ex-girlfriend and–”

“That’s entirely different.”

“Oh is it, really? How so?”

 

They held each other’s hard gaze for a moment, until Asami sighed and slowly laid back down on his back, closing his eyes. He did not pull Akihito with him though. The young man rolled onto his side and wrapped himself around the muscular arm that was the closest to him, held onto the large hand and rested his cheek against the shoulder.

“Asami…?”

“It wasn’t like that between her and I.” he felt Akihito perking up against him. “We were… two different yet very similar people. Somehow we knew that if we were to grow too close and stay together for too long, we would eventually destroy everything around us and then each other.”

That heavy statement told Akihito nothing and everything at the same time and yet, he decided that it was okay for now. He moved closer to the older man and relaxed against him.

“One day… Will you tell me your story? How you two met, and all that?”

Asami’s hand carded through the blonde hair. “One day.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case anyone's wondering: the song Carla sings in the video is "Amor De Mis Amores" written by Agustin Lara. It's been covered by many artists since then.


	5. The Deal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took a lot more time coming to term with this chapter than I wanted… It's a chapter of changes, which coincidentally reflects my personal life right now, but I'll spare you the details (^_-)  
> Again, please pay attention to the tags to see if some elements might trigger you. Take care! ♥︎ and thank you for reading this far!

Asami took a long drag and observed the burning tip of his cigarette pensively before blowing the smoke towards the fan that turned too slowly.

“Let me get this straight. You want me to help you get rid of a group of locals –”

“An _armed_ group of locals.”

“…get rid of an armed group of locals by lending you manpower, and in exchange you will grant me exclusivity on all the drugs and weapons smuggling routes between Costa Rica and Japan, as well as… an undetermined amount of gold, was it?”

Emilio Montoya was hunched forward on his desk, his humid and wrinkled forehead making him look even more desperate. “Mister Asami, my hands are tied while these punks are around. They are very hard to catch sabotage experts! And my men are not half as organized as yours… You saw it for yourself, the way you so easily invaded my property! Haha!-ahem…” His laugh died awkwardly in his throat when he realized that none of his Japanese guests were in the mood for jokes.

Asami let out another puff of smoke. “You’re being rather stingy with information regarding that gold you mentioned.”

Montoya’s smile widened at that, his eyes shining. “Hear me out: in the colonial era, Costa Rica was considered poor in precious metals compared to its neighbors. All the gold that was found was either mined then or is in museums today, except for that one stash. These punks I told you about, they found it. No one knows how to get to it or how much there is exactly except them, but it’s definitely more than one man can carry. Get rid of these low-lives for me and half of that gold is yours, Mister Asami.”

 

* * *

 

“I can’t believe it! You _marked_ me, you– you freaking _animal!_ ”

Buttoning his shirt up, Asami smirked at Akihito’s outraged comments as he examined the bite marks in the bathroom’s mirror. The flesh was clearly imprinted with red teeth marks, and their contours as well as the middle, where Asami had sucked so hard, had turned a deep shade of purplish-blue.

“Don’t laugh! It hurts when I press on them!”

“Then don’t.”

“Now I won’t be able to wear tank tops! Or even t-shirts! Rhaaa!”

“How did you put it again… Ah, yes: ‘’you do realize it’s freaking January’’ was it?” Asami’s smirk disappeared gradually as his eyes narrowed and the deep voice turned dangerous. “Or were you planning to expose yourself to o–”

“Oooh no. No! Don’t start!” Akihito stomped out of the bathroom, managed to find the sweater with the tightest collar he owned, put it on furiously and made his way to the kitchen.

 

* * *

 

The nurse that Dr. Fudo had picked turned out to be her own niece, a quiet woman named Kanae who was just a year older than Akihito. She had most likely been selected for having lived in Mexico for some time as a teen, therefore knowing the basics of her new patient’s mother tongue. Kirishima was giving her all sorts of instructions and recommendations in a grave voice when the blonde man stormed into the room.

“Wooow! Somebody bring me a knife, ‘cause this atmosphere is just too thick! _Heeeyyy~_ ” he waved at Joaquina who was already eating breakfast. The child smiled at him and waved back frantically. Pouring himself a glass of fruit juice, Akihito continued his loud ranting: “You might want to clarify that it’s a _child_ , and not a ticking time bomb she will be looking after. _Riiiiiight?_ ” he said, smiling at Joaquina as he sat next to her, ignoring the look of utter exasperation Kirishima almost failed to conceal.

Shocked at first, the nurse’s lips now trembled as she struggled to keep her composure at the whole scene… until Asami walked into the room, making the temperature drop a few degrees. Everyone, safe for Akihito, immediately righted themselves. Kirishima and Kanae bowed deeply. Asami downed the cup of tea his secretary offered him before turning to the young woman.

“I believe you were given ample instructions.” he said, adjusting an expensive watch around his wrist. “Guards will be on standby at all time at the door, so don’t hesitate to ask them for anything you might need.”

Obviously impressed and a little overwhelmed, Kanae bowed again. Asami then ruffled Akihito’s hair, who almost fell off his chair as he slapped the older man’s hand away, and exited the penthouse without another word or glance, Kirishima on his heels.

 

* * *

 

Asami walked into a rather large room whose windows were framed by thick, heavy drapes held back by velvet cords. He halted dead in his steps when his eyes fell on Montoya’s skinny, moody wife. Sitting at a table, her elbows on the chair’s armrests, she held an empty glass close to her face and twirled it between her fingers. Her eyes were glued to Asami though, but this time she did not glare nor made a move to flee.

Asami nodded in acknowledgement and walked a few steps in her direction. “I was supposed to meet your husband here…”

“He’s not here.” she deadpanned. She was still watching him intently, and as Asami walked closer to her he noticed a mischievous, slightly distorted smile playing on her lips. “He asked you to bring him the heads of those men who give him trouble, right?” she asked.

“He wasn’t that specific –”

“…and that he would give you gold for it, right?” her creepy smile grew wider.

They both fell silent then, observing each other to see whose gaze would waver first. There was something about her that made him _almost_ uneasy, and being unable to nail what it was down was becoming a little frustrating. After a long moment, Asami broke the oppressing silence.

“With all due respect Ma’am, I don’t have time to waste playing charades with you.” he shifted his weight from one leg to the other to turn and walk out when she finally spoke again.

“Very well. Right now my brother has a Barrett M82 pointed at you. Take one more step towards that door, and I can guarantee there won’t be one surface in this room that won’t be covered in you.”

Asami halted. _Bullshit._ She had to be bluffing. She had to be and yet there was still a chance that she was not. Asami turned back towards the woman as an excuse to further examine his surroundings. Out of the four walls that made the room they were in, at least two were directly facing the luxuriant forest. A sniper looking for a perch would be nothing but spoiled for choice. Asami then felt the morbid urge to take just one more little step away, but it was quickly and completely replaced with curiosity.

“…Brother?”

Carla, who had been scanning his face the whole time, pointed to the empty seat in front of her with her chin. Asami took it slowly, without a word.

“What if I told you,” she said as she tilted her head to the side, “I know exactly _who_ and _where_ your enemy is?”

 

* * *

 

Kirishima stepped on the breaks just before the limo hit the Vespa. Akihito got off and stomped furiously to the car, and Asami had already rolled the window down by the time he reached it.

“If you wanted a ride to work, you could have just asked.” Asami smirked.

“Nah.” The young man’s exasperated features turned into concern then. “It’s just… Why are you like this? Have you seen how _nervous_ she becomes whenever you’re around?!”

Asami’s expression darkened. “I’m running late to a meeting, Akihito. We are not having this conversation–”

“Yeah, right. You’re too busy to talk, but you’d have plenty of time to bend me over the backseat, huh?”

The guard in the passenger seat made a strangled coughing noise and Akihito walked away before Asami could say anything.

“We _will_ have this conversation, Asami. And sooner than later!”

Akihito straddled his Vespa and drove out of the garage.

 

* * *

 

“What do you mean, ‘’there is no gold’’?”

“Exactly that. You were lied to. It doesn’t exist.” Carla shook her head slowly as she spoke as if she was talking to a child. The creepy smile had been replaced by a soft one, but her eyes still looked dangerous. “Emilio is making you think he’s a helpless man aging too fast, too lazy or stupid to handle his problems himself but it’s all an act. As soon as you do your part of the deal, he will kill you and your men.”

“And you’re telling me this because…?”

“Because I have a better offer for you, of course.” Carla moved forward in her seat. “Team up with us. We get rid of Emilio together and share the benefits. He doesn’t trust banks, so he hides money and valuables in various places, and I know where they are. You get 30% of it, plus the business deal he offered you stands.”

They stared at each other again, until Asami scoffed. He ran a hand over his face as he sighed. “If I had paid attention to every single one of my business partners’ wives’ little caprices, I’d –”

“ _Caprice?_ ” In the blink of an eye, she had gotten up and was standing in front of Asami. One hand grabbed his lapel while the other unbuttoned her dress open in one swift movement. “You think _this_ isjust a _caprice_?!” she hissed.

Rendered speechless, Asami's smile died and his eyes narrowed at the sight before him.

Marred skin. Bruises. Bruises of all shades from yellowish-green to deep dark purple. Cigarette burns of various sizes. Cuts too large to have been made by nails or a knife. Distinct grasping prints all over the upper arms. Bones poking through the skin. Several ribs obviously broken.

In his line of work, Asami had seen plenty of bodies beaten to a pulp, destroyed, disfigured beyond recognition… But he had never seen someone in such a state _standing_. Hell, the simple fact that she was still able to speak was an exploit in itself.

“You only have two options here: help Emilio and die, or help me get rid of him and live.”

 

* * *

 

A week had passed already. Joaquina picked the language incredibly fast and was able to hold simple conversations with Akihito and Kanae. Still confined in the penthouse, she was only now starting to ask to go outside. Her tactics involved following pretty much anyone on their way out the penthouse in the morning. She stopped at the genkan, and looked at them with pleading doe eyes, her head tilted to the side, as they put their shoes and coats on.

It never worked. Asami merely let out one sentence about staying inside, and anyone employed by him knew better than to risk being talked into disobeying, so they only glanced at her at best. As for Akihito, he could not help but take her in pity. He knew the reason for the interdiction was her own safety of course, so he started bringing her little gifts instead. Small charms, funny pens, colorful snacks hoping to make it easier. It worked… for a while.

One morning, as Akihito was busy gathering the contents of his backpack he had dropped after some ‘’old horny bastard’’ had startled him by slapping his ass so damn hard, he looked up to see Joaquina reach out and grab the hem of her father’s coat. She did not pull on it, though, she simply held it in her small hand. Asami did not even bother looking over his shoulder completely, merely turning his head a little… before walking out and away. The movement surprised Joaquina, who let go with a soft gasp, keeping her hand extended in the air for a few seconds.

 

That day, the photoshoot Akihito worked on had lasted longer than expected. When he came home, the nurse was already gone, replaced by a guard from Asami’s inner circle of most trusted men who simply stood at the genkan. Akihito discreetly went to check on Joaquina and found her sound asleep. He then showered, ate dinner, and watched the news all by himself. Knowing that it was not rare for Asami to only come back home in the wee hours of the morning, Akihito was about to go to bed when he heard the door click open. The older man looked a bit surprised to find him sitting in the living room.

“You’re still awake.” It was more of an observation than a question.

“Asami,” Akihito sighed deeply. “I don’t want to argue with you, but… Look, if she’s going to stay here with us… You need to drop the ‘’big scary crime lord’’ act, at least in front of her, alright? It’s not fair, she didn’t ask for any of this, she did nothing wrong… It’s so unfair…”

“Why are you crying?” Asami asked softly.

Akihito had not realized tears were running down his face until then. It was more frustration than proper sadness, though. He knew Asami had issues expressing most emotions and a quite unique way to show love, but seeing him being apparently unable to demonstrate basic affection towards his own daughter, even in private, hurt Akihito in ways he could not describe with words alone. “It’s so unfair!” he repeated, shaking his head. Asami approached him and cupped his face, brushing away the tears. Akihito threw his arms around the older man’s waist and held him tight, fisting the shirt and sobbing against the abs. “Her mother’s dead… And she’s so young… It’s really unfair! You’re the only family she has left… That’s why, you have to be nice to her!”

Asami planted kisses on the blonde crown as he rubbed the young man’s back gently, letting him soak his shirt a while longer. He knelt down between Akihito’s knees then, still cupping his face, brushing hair and tears away.

“I got it.” The wet hazel eyes finally opened. Hiccuping, Akihito held onto the corded arms on either sides of him. Asami mechanically stroked his cheeks with his thumbs in a soothing manner. “I got it.” he repeated like a pledge. He then placed gentle kisses on his young lover’s lips until Akihito stopped crying and eventually looped his arms around his neck before pulling the larger man over him.

 

* * *

 

“…I want 50%.”

“40.”

“Deal.”

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for keeping you all waiting like this! It's the end of the year and I am SO. BUSY.  
> Besides, this chapter gave me a bit of trouble… For some reason I just couldn't wrap my head around the structure, but sometimes you gotta know when to let things go, right? I hope it's okay and that you will enjoy it. 
> 
> Also, did you notice? No, not the rimming tag! THE CHAPTERS!!  
> Yup. 12! It's only an estimation though, but eh. I just wanted to give you an idea of what's coming. 
> 
> I'll do my best, but I doubt I will be able to post the next chapter before 2019, so HAPPY HOLIDAYS to everyone and thank you for reading this far ♥︎ –RW

Stirring, Akihito reached out to the other side of the bed without looking and encountered… nothingness. After all the whispered promises from the night before, the bastard had disappeared before the sunrise.

Sitting on the floor at the coffee table, Joaquina was too busy writing in her notebook to notice Akihito’s furious stomping around the penthouse in vain search for her father.

 

* * *

 

A faint smell of cooked food still lingered in the penthouse when Asami walked in to his daughter copying characters away, and his fuming lover aggressively typing on his laptop at the dining table. The first one was too lost in concentration to hear him, the second was deliberately giving him the silent treatment.

Joaquina only acknowledged Asami’s presence when he sat on the couch nearby. Her face illuminated when she saw what he had brought with him and she gasped in awe when he gave it to her.

“I heard this is your favorite animal.”

Joaquina examines the lifesize plush baby goat with wide eyes, as if it was a precious object she would not normally be allowed to touch. Asami knows that Akihito, still sitting at the table and not facing them, is actually watching the whole display from the corner of his eye. And Akihito knows that Asami knows… And Asami knows that Akihito knows that Asami knows, but they both still do not acknowledge each other.

After hugging and gently petting her new favorite toy, Joaquina finally turns her gaze to her father, who, for once, holds it. Asami contemplates the child – _his_ child – for a moment and gets lost in the majorly light grey orbs, like her mother’s, with golden sparks the same shade as his around the iris. Joaquina suddenly breaks the look and loops an arm around her father’s leg, hugging it tight. Asami reaches down and pats her hair gently until she lifts her head up again, looking at him with the most tender smile. When he mirrors her expression, she dares to climb in his lap and rest her tiny arms around his neck.

Asami returns the hug but the top button of his shirt gets caught in the gold chain she wears around her neck. Joaquina instinctively starts to pull and tug away, but Asami manages to free them in one quick movement. Twirling the piece of gold between his fingers, Asami observes the amulet attached to the chain. It is slightly larger than the child’s palm, both sides decorated with intricate designs. “Who gave that to you?”

“ _Tío_ … My uncle Oscar.”

“It’s pretty.”

Joaquina gently pries the amulet from her father’s fingers, as if she was scared he might damage the precious souvenir. She lets it drop inside her shirt’s collar before laying her head back on the broad shoulder. Returning the hug once again, Asami eventually caught Akihito watching the whole display with a look of relieved serenity on his face.

 

* * *

 

“Hey, stop– Uwahah! Hey, if your behavior earlier was just a performance to get into my pants, you –”

“I’ve never needed to put up a performance to get into your pants, Akihito.”

Asami sucked at the sweet spot behind the ear that made Akihito’s back arch everytime. The older man took the opportunity to strip his lover as he half-pushed, half-pulled him to the bed until he eventually landed on his side. Asami hunched over the slender body and slowly pushed Akihito’s knees up to his chest while he planted kisses on his face and shoulder. He soon lied down behind Akihito, on his side as well, but…

“Asami…? _Oh!_ ”

The sensation of Asami’s large hands sliding up and down the back of Akihito’s thighs was soon followed by a flat tongue lapping lazily at his perineum. Akihito then felt fingers spread his cheeks and the wet muscle slowly made its way to the puckered ring of nerve endings. “Asa– _ah!_ Asami… it’s dirty, don’t…!

“It’s been a while since I last kissed your _rosebud_ , Akihito. Indulge me.”

“ _Haa~!_ ”

Asami purposely produced the lewdest wet, slurping noises and hums as he kissed and sucked and lapped with his tongue at the sensitive area. Feeling Akihito twitch under his lips made his own pants tighter with each passing second, but it was not time to claim his lover’s trembling body yet. He used one hand to reach between Akihito’s legs and grasp the erection, stroking it up and down firmly.

Clutching his own hair, Akihito panted and failed to repress a loud moan when Asami’s finger pressed on the slit that leaked precum. Teased both back and front, it was not long before Akihito came with a shattered cry. Asami sat up and ran a hand over the still trembling body as he removed his own clothes.

“Go… Wash your mouth…”

“Oh, but we’re far from done here, my cute little Akihito.”

The young man’s eyes grew comically wide when they fell on Asami’s impressive erection. “But…”

“Let’s make a deal then: you ride me, and if you can make me cum before you, I’ll go wash up and leave you in peace for the rest of the day.”

The brat flared up just as Asami had expected. “Wha– but you’re a goddamn cum-control freak! And it’s past 7 in the evening already! You’re not making any sen– Hey! Stay back!”

Smirking, Asami approached his face dangerously closer to Akihito, who tried to scramble away. “Hurry up and propose your terms, then, Akihito…” To make his point across, he pinned the thin wrists above the blonde head. “…Before I lose my patience.”

Lying on his back as he was, Akihito tried to push his skull further back in the mattress as he turned his head to the side. “You…! Alright, alright! You can’t use your hands! No touching at all! And then you must not pester me until… for the next twenty-four hours!”

Asami stayed still and quiet for a few seconds, reveling in Akihito’s expectant alarm.

“I accept your terms.” He said finally, before letting go of the young man’s wrists to lay on his back, propped on one pillow under which he hid his hands. “Now, get to work.”

Akihito sat up on the bed. The piercing golden gaze never left him when he moved to straddle Asami. Taking support on his knees and hands on either sides of the muscular body, Akihito started to rock his hips back and forth, rubbing their erections together. To this day, the number of times Asami had reached his orgasm before him could be counted on the fingers of one hand. Akihito might lack in stamina alright, but he had plenty of determination, and especially when it came to winning challenges.

“Hey, you said no hands…”

“No hands for _you!_  You’re hung like a freaking horse, how am I supposed to take you inside without using my hands at all?!”

Asami merely chuckled as he watched Akihito nudge the erection against the still moist entrance. For a second, he considered thrusting upwards to surprise his lover, but letting him take the lead – or giving him the illusion of such – every once in a while was always immensely entertaining. Akihito’s left eye closed reflexively and he let out a sharp exhale and a soft moan when he finally took Asami in.

“It still takes your insides quite some time to move out of the way to accommodate me, eh Akihito?”

“ _Nh…_ Zip it, will you?!” Oh, that _shit-eating grin…_ Akihito did not even need to look up to know it was there. He figured out a strategy to win against Asami by the time he got to take him in all the way to the hilt.

Akihito crossed his arms behind his back and held onto his elbows, and started to move. He rocked his hips up and down, shallowly, and threw in circular motions too. Under him, Asami let out a barely perceptible groan and his arms twitched. Akihito had to repress a sneer at the view. Instead, he rolled his shoulders back and sticked out his flat chest, breathing slightly overdone soft moans each time he let himself fall back down on Asami’s length, his eyes never leaving the dark golden gaze through fluttering eyelashes. The older man’s chest heaved now, and the saillant abs tightened in rhythm. Feeling the climax approaching as well, Akihito scrunched his face like he was about to cry a few times.

“ _Haa…_ Ryuichi… Having you deep inside… _Ngh!_ Feels so good…”

Finally Asami’s eyes fluttered as he let out a low growl and spilled deep inside. Akihito followed almost immediately, splattering the abs. He fell forward and panted against the muscular chest for a while before pulling his head back up, sniggering.

“Hey… I win!”

Half-asleep by the time Asami returned from the bathroom, he did allow the older man to clean him up.

 

* * *

 

Akihito’s alarm blared through his sleep-clouded head. Just as he was about to reach for his phone, cold suddenly pierced his skin and he felt his body being pulled in the air, soon followed by a painful sensation in the arm. Too sleepy to stand on his feet properly, Akihito tried to blink the sleep away when he realized that the alarm sounded odd: it was too high-pitched to be coming from a phone… No, that noise sounded more like _screeches_. A young child’s piercing screeches –

“Stay in here!”

Akihito let out a huff when he was abruptly shoved and his body bounced on a soft surface. The last thing he saw before the secret room’s door slid closed was Asami, his gun out, moving away in direction of the high-pitched screams. It took Akihito’s brain a few more seconds to remember that the secret room was equipped with screens on which one could see key points of the penthouse. By the time he managed to turn them on, Asami’s voice crackled through the interphone.

“All clear, Akihito. You can come out.”

Without thinking, the young man obliged and walked out like a robot. He eventually found Asami, whose gun had already been put out of sight, sitting on a couch by the large window that led to the balcony. The screeches they had heard were indeed Joaquina’s, but they were actually laughs of wonderment. The child jumped and danced around the balcony under the snow that fell slowly. She alternatively waved her arms to the sky and bended at the waist to gather flakes in her hands before throwing them back up to where they came from.

“It’s her first time seeing snow.” Asami explained.

Akihito felt something warm bloom in his chest and spread to the rest of his body when he saw the look of tenderness on Asami’s face. “She’ll catch a cold at this rate…”

“Come on. Give her five more minutes.”

Joaquina turned to them and waved frantically before sliding her head inside. “Aki! Come outside and help me, I want to make a… you know? I want to make a doll out of snow! Please please please Aki!”

“Doll…? Ah, you mean a snowman? But there isn’t enough snow for that yet… Come back inside now, your lips have turned blue already.”

Joaquina fought the blanket her father tried to wrap around her until Akihito agreed to ‘’pinky promise that they would build a snowman together as soon as there would be enough snow’’. Asami gave her a rubdown through the blanket while newly-bound-by-oath Akihito made late breakfast for the three of them. On Joaquina’s demand, they all watched cartoons together until mid-afternoon when she went to take a nap, tired from jumping around in the cold earlier. After making sure she was tucked in, Asami came back and looped an arm around Akihito’s waist, gently pulling him to their own bedroom without a word.

After all, Sundays were made for lazing around, even by Asami’s standards.

 

* * *

 

Resting his head on one hand, Asami laid on the bed on his side and pulled Akihito so that the blonde head rested on his hip, fingers playing absently in the light hair.

“It doesn’t snow in Costa Rica.” He said after a while. “The first time I went, it was also January.” Akihito turned his head slightly, but Asami was looking at the snow falling slowly on the other side of the window.

“Joaquina’s mother… when I first met her she was married, and to one piece of shit of a man. She and her twin brother owned a plot of land he wanted. When he realized that asking nicely was useless, he became violent… They had to go into hiding. Then she agreed to marry him hoping that he would at least leave her brother alone, but every time something displeased him, that motherfucker would beat her black and blue then force her out the house for her brother to see.” Asami all but spit his sentences, profound hatred obvious in his voice even after all these years. “I went there to do business with him, but I ended up teaming up with the twins instead. Long story short, the husband got killed, and I stayed for a while to make sure there would be no retaliation against either of them. It was during that time that we became close. Carla and I, I mean… When time came for me to come back to Japan, we hadn’t planned to see each other ever again…”

His head still resting in the crook of Asami’s hip, Akihito watched him with eyes wide in both disbelief and horror. “You actually saved her life… Her and her twin brother… You saved them both.” he said in a toneless voice. Out of all the scenarios he could have imagined, his mind would have never come up with this one.

Asami was tempted to say that the three of them had actually all saved each other, but upon seeing Akihito’s expression, he decided that he had already heard enough sordid details. “You’re making it sound like I’m some hero,” Asami scoffed, ruffling the blonde hair. “and them, good choir kids.”

“Don’t belittle it!” Akihito scowled. “But then… When was Joaquina, uh, _conceived_?”

“Four years later, here in Tokyo. After a club opening party… I’m not sure when –”

“You mean that the two of you jumped each other like such horny rabbits that you don’t know if she was made on the bar counter or against the restrooms’ door?!”

Asami seemed to be unsure whether to laugh or get angry at that.

“Aah, forget I said that.” Akihito continued, sitting up on the bed. “That was unnecessary.”

Asami placed himself behind Akihito, chiselled torso against slender back, and wrapped his arms around him, nuzzling his neck. “You know you’re the only one I ever brought home, Akihito.” He could feel the deep voice vibrating through his chest.

“…I know that.” he mumbled.

“You’re the only one I ever let in.” Asami murmured again against the hairline.

And Akihito knew he meant more than just walking through the penthouse’s front door.

 

* * *

 

“Oh! Hello Kirishima!”

The secretary re-adjusted his glasses on his nose. “Miss, you are supposed to add ‘’-san’’ after names.”

“But Tata doesn’t…” she said, tilting her head to the side innocently.

Kirishima felt little encline to discuss etiquette with the 5 year-old. “Miss, would you know where Asa– where your father is?”

“Yup! Over here!” By the time Kirishima realized she was heading to the master bedroom, it was already too late to stop her. Joaquina knocked three times before pushing the door slightly open. She did not look inside, but slid her ear in the space. A smile immediately split her face and she closed the door. “I think they’re kissing with Aki.”

Asami came out a minute later. “Didn’t I tell you not to open that door without permission, Joaquina? What is it, Kirishima?”

The secretary waited until the child went to play a little further in the living room. “I’m sorry, Asami-sama, you told me to bring you that document as soon as it was ready.”

Asami extended his hand and checked the dark blue booklet. Akihito came out of the bedroom at the same moment.

“Hey… Hey! Is that her passport?”

“Passport?! Can I see?” the squeal was followed by the noise of hurried little footsteps. Asami showed it to her and she touched it with trembling fingers. “That means… I can go outside now?” Joaquina lifted her head and glinting grey eyes swept over the three men.

“Yes. As of tomorrow.” Asami quickly added when she started jumping around.

 

* * *

 

At Sion, anyone wearing anything other than a perfectly tailored dark suit stood out. Even the cleaning teams were clad in cornflower blue outfits. So on the rare occasions when Takaba Akihito showed up in his trashed jeans and colorful graphic tees, it was like a magical rainbow pony was flying in the office building. Most employees were now accustomed to the sight of the young blonde man make his way to the the private elevator, whether alone or in company of their boss. The latter had made a pretty clear silent declaration early on by putting his hand on the small of the lithe back for everyone to see… Which was most likely the reason why nobody dared to scrunch up their nose in distaste at the doubtful outfits.

However, the Sion employees never thought there would come a day when they would see _a child_ inside the building’s walls. Their reaction when they saw the little girl walk enthusiastically between their boss and the chief of security, looking around with huge eyes as she slurped on a pink bubble tea, would have been the same if Asami had given a singing announcement that he was turning the whole office into a petting zoo.

 

* * *

 

“I asked Tata when I would start school,” Joaquina said as they reached the azalea garden. “he said maybe next week. But I don’t know where the school is yet… I hope it’s a nice one…”

“Of course it will be! Don’t worry, Asami will pick a great school for you, with nice teachers and lots of cool activities and all that. I’m sure you’ll even get to visit it beforehand.”

It had been nearly one week since Joaquina had finally been allowed to go outside. Asami and Akihito tried and arranged their own schedules so that they could show her around the city as often as possible. True to himself, Asami would pick entirely too sophisticated places while Akihito went for simpler, more accessible ones.

That afternoon, the two were visiting the Nezu shrine. Always armed with his camera, Akihito took many photos of Joaquina walking through the tunnel-like series of _torii_ gates and crouching by the pond, so fascinated by the colorful _koi_ that she became almost oblivious to his presence. Entering the main building, they both arched their necks to admire the detailed architecture.

“Say, Aki… Where do you think people go when they die?” Joaquina stood still next to him, carefully avoiding eye contact.

“Why are you asking that?”

“Because… Sometimes I think, maybe _Mamá_ and my _tío_ Oscar didn’t make it to Heaven…” Joaquina’s voice had completely lost its usual chanting tone.

Ah. Now _that_ was a discussion Akihito was not ready for. Although he had never met them, he knew her mother and uncle had not been good samaritans, Asami had even confirmed that fact a few days back. After all, they were involved with him… _Oh._

Akihito took a deep inhalation. “You know, I think that every human has an eternal soul. I was told that when people die, they can end up in various places, but there’s no such thing as ‘’the good go to a nice place, and the bad go to a terrible one’’. Well, there is a Hell, a place called Yomi, but it’s not horrible! Okay, it’s underground, so I guess they don’t get much Sun down there, but it’s fine since they’re – um…”  _Crap._

But it seemed to have been enough to reassure Joaquina. Akihito saw a faint smile on her face when she turned her head ever so slightly to look at him. “So… even if people end up in Yomi, they don’t hurt and burn forever?”

“No! No, there’s no fire or torture down there. It’s just… kinda dark, I guess…”

Joaquina let out a soft sigh of relief and suddenly threw herself at Akihito, hugging the young man’s thigh with both arms and burying her face in the jeans. He thought she was crying at first, but he was wrong. It was just a hug. Sighing too, he patted her hair tenderly and they stayed like this for a moment until…

“Aki?”

“Yes?”

“Can we go get some bubble tea please?”

“Sure.”

 

* * *

 

There was no way that sweet tooth came from him… In any case, Joaquina’s sugar intake might have to be addressed one of these days. Asami tore his gaze from the dessert plate she had licked immaculate and watched the view the restaurant’s large glass panels offered of _his_ city.

It has been a month now since Joaquina has, despite herself, bulldozed her way into their lives. As expected, his men had asked no questions and made no remarks. As for Akihito, Asami could not have hoped for a better reaction. The young man had cared for her before they had even met. Pride tugged at the corner of Asami’s lips at the thought.

But it disappeared as he was brutally brought back to reality by the sight of the guard who had accompanied Joaquina to the restrooms returning _alone_. Menacing, Suoh marched on the distressed guard who had failed his basic duty. Asami watched them exchange hushed words from afar, only standing up from his seat when he saw the Head of Security _jolt_. Seeing his boss approach, Suoh only indicated a booth in a corner of the large room.

 

Rapt with wonder, Joaquina is standing there, staring at the thick piece of paper attached to strings that twirl in elegant hands, giving the illusion of a red and golden bird trapped in a black cage flying before her face. Hearing her name in a voice she does not yet recognize as warning, Joaquina whips her head to wave at her father to approach.

“Look, Tata! I found a magician!”

Joaquina is still too young and innocent to know that the smile on the man’s face just inches from hers is not one of kindness, but the look of a predator who has just found a specially appetizing prey and contemplates how to devour it. She is too young and innocent also, to know who Liu Fei Long is.

 


	7. The Healing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year! May 2019 be good to us all!  
> Writing this chapter was quite weird: I was completely stuck for a whole week, then the words started flowing out faster that I could write them… Next thing I know, this is my longest chapter so far!  
> Again, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy this update ♥︎

There were bullet impacts on every single wall Asami’s eyes swept over. They eventually landed on his secretary walking in his direction, careful not to step in any puddle of blood.

“Casualties?” Asami asked as he slipped a cigarette between his lips.

“Three slightly injured on our side.” Kirishima recited as he offered a light. “We kept four enemies alive for interrogation since six managed to escape. Suoh sent men after them –”

“Call them back. We’re not hunting today.” Asami interrupted. “Where is she?”

“Reportedly somewhere on the upper floor, sir.”

Asami left his secretary behind and went for the stairs. Once he reached the top, a foul stench he knew well for being usually accompanied by awful screams mixed with the iron-like smell of blood invaded his nose. Asami drew out his gun and followed it down the silent hallway littered in corpses. Peeping in the bedroom at the end of it, he understood the lack of screams.

Emilio Montoya was lying down on his back on the carpeted floor, a hand clamped around his neck in a vain attempt to stop the blood from gushing out through his fingers. Only able to make disgusting strangled noises, he squirmed like a pitiful worm from the pain inflicted by the multiple wounds in his stomach area. Asami had been right: the gastric acid had started spilling, literally burning the man’s insides. In addition to the neck and stomach, he also noticed characteristic bullet wounds in each of the man’s knees. Emilio Montoya was dying the slow, painful death scumbags like him deserved.

Lifting his gaze from the ugly sight, Asami finally found Carla. The woman was sitting immobile on a chair opposite him, intently watching the man who had put her through hell for years now hopelessly writhing in pain on the floor. Her face carried no apparent traces of relief, joy or sadism whatsoever. If anything, she looked _focused_. Given his injuries, it did not take more than two minutes before the man on the floor eventually stopped moving, his hand leaving his neck to let one last gush of blood escape the wound. Carla’s eyes did not leave the corpse when she broke the silence after a moment.

“My brother?” she enquired in a husky voice.

“Alive and relatively unharmed. He must be here by now.”

“Yeah. Give me a minute here.”

Asami walked out quietly. He was halfway down the stairs when a single gunshot resounded through the building. Minutes later, Carla rushed past him and the dozen of men standing in the hallway to jump in her brother’s arms. As the twins embraced each other, free at last, Oscar eventually lifted his head to look right at Asami, and gave a long nod as thanks. Asami simply mirrored the gesture in acknowledgment.

 

* * *

 

“What will you do with the house?”

“If it was up to me, I’d burn it to the ground. But Oscar has other projects… Like selling it or something.” Sitting sideways with her bare feet on the couch, Carla rested her face in her hand as she looked out the window, brow furrowed.

 _A lion in a cage_ , Asami thought as he observed the woman. That was all he could think of whenever he looked at her, even now that she was free from her abusive husband.

 _Free?_ Not quite. Being forced to hide on the penthouse floor of an upper-class hotel in the suburbs of San Jose for fear of retaliation from her late husband’s lackeys was not exactly freedom. If anything, it was a nicely decorated prison she got to share with her brother, Asami, and both their men. The remaining lowlives from Montoya’s gang had not taught them anything relevant, other than their hatred and disdain for the twins was deeply rooted. But as luring out the ones still at large started to appear more and more like the only good strategy to destroy them once for all, Oscar had approached Asami and made him promise not to use Carla as bait. _As if that had ever been an option._ No, this woman had allowed the netherworld to feed off her long enough already.

A strangled snort coming from the small bedroom Oscar slept in interrupted his thoughts. Carla immediately stood up and Asami’s gaze followed her as she moved to sit on the side of the bed and run a reassuring hand on her twin’s head. He heard the man sigh and turn before Carla came back and stopped past the door frame, looking unsure of what to do now.

“You should go get some sleep too.” Asami suggested.

With his boss’ green light, Suoh had handled the hotel’s room and floor distribution among the seventy-something men according to some well-thought security plan. Asami, Kirishima, Suoh, and half a dozen of their men shared a floor with Carla, Oscar and his lieutenant, Pedro. One day where she seemed particularly grim and bored, she had tried to bang heads with Asami for occupying the largest room of them all.

Carla mumbled something and went back to sitting sideways on the couch. They stayed quiet for a moment until Asami stood up. But as he walked past her, she grabbed his leg pant in a surprisingly tight fist, stopping him in his tracks. “…Can’t sleep.” she finally whispered without looking at him.

“I’m not sure there’s anything I can do about that.” Asami looked down at her knuckles that had turned white from holding the textile so tightly. He brushed his fingertips along them gently, without thinking. He was not sure if it was in an attempt to reassure her or to get her to let go, but it seemed like the right thing to do at the moment.

Carla grabbed his hand instead and squeezed it. Asami gave a tug, and felt her weight follow him as he leaded to his room. He did not miss the way she tensed up and the nervousness creeping up on her face when her gaze landed on the bed.

“Won’t your brother get angry if he finds out you slept here?” Asami teased before yanking the covers.

He smirked when he saw Carla tip her chin up from the corner of his eye. “My brother does not own me. I sleep wherever I want.” she retorted with the defiance Asami had expected, before slipping into the bed.

They slept in Asami’s room every night after that. Sometimes they walked to the bedroom together, sometimes Asami went ahead and waited. She never failed to join him and he was quick to recognize her silhouette in the dark, the unique sound of her footsteps, the rhythm of her breath when she was asleep. There was no skin contact, though: Carla categorically refused to be held or embraced in any way, and did not allow Asami behind her. She always laid on her side, facing him. Once however, Asami woke up at dawn due to unbearable heat, only to find a thin arm swung around his ribs: Carla had crowded at his back and breathed softly in his neck, spooning him. Neither mentioned it come morning, no matter how many times it happened after that.

But there was one thing Asami hated more and more with each passing night: the anguish he still incited whenever he tried to move closer to Carla. The Cartesian part of his mind knew her tensing up was just an instinctive reflex due to long months of abuse, but the territorial beast inside him wanted it gone – or better yet, it wanted to be _the one_ to make it go away.

One night, Carla walked in while Asami was showering. He found her lying on her back, one knee over the other with a feet dangling in the air. In one hand she held a half peeled pitaya from which she took lazy bites, and in the other one the book Asami was considering giving to that one promising and helpful young man working at the district attorney office in Tokyo. Because of her position, Carla’s pajama shirt had lifted up, revealing her stomach.

“…Glad my mother tongue is a Romance one. I could never handle such a complex language!” she said as she dropped the book on the mattress with a desperate sigh.

Tearing his gaze from the exposed patch of skin moving in synch with each breath, Asami crossed the room. “English and Chinese – and Spanish – came to me rather easily though.” he said as he poured himself a drink.

Carla’s brow lifted in surprise. “You’re fluent in Chinese?”

“Mandarin and Cantonese.” Asami specified, taking a sip.

“Yeah… I figured you’d be the kind to be good with tongues.”

Turning his head, Asami caught a glimpse of a smirk, proof that Carla’s play of words was deliberate, before it disappeared with another bite of the fruit she still held in her hand.

Asami glared at it. “Is it very sweet?”

Still chomping by the time he got to the bed, Carla simply extended her hand in his direction. She let out a choked exclamation and jolted when Asami bypassed it entirely to help himself directly from her mouth. He followed her down as she scrambled a little in an unsuccessful attempt to pull away, and ended on all fours on top of her.

Breaking the ‘’kiss’’, Asami saw her hands clutch respectively the rest of the pitaya and the bed sheet. Carla sharply turned her head to the side when he trailed a finger on a still large scar on the hollow near the kidney area. “Does it hurt?”

“No, it doesn’t…” she answered in an uncharacteristically soft, breathy voice.

“How about this one?” Asami asked, moving his hand flat up to the navel and on the side of the rib cage where a large bruise struggled to fade to yellow. He watched her back arch a little as her breath shuddered.

“Doesn’t… hurt…” Carla wrapped her arms around her chest, keeping him at bay somehow but not pushing him away.

Asami probed further, undoing buttons and moving away layers of clothing little by little, as if unwrapping something immensely precious. She could have fought. She could have scratched, bitten, hit, or even grabbed the loaded Cz75 she knew Asami kept under his pillow. Instead, she squirmed and whined under his touch, her eyes shut tight.

His lips joined his hands and they all travelled her body, leaving nothing untouched, and Asami especially took the time to lick and kiss the scars that refused to heal quickly enough. Carla whimpered and twitched under his touch as if the gentle contact caused her physical pain. She never asked him to stop though, and he would not have obliged if she had anyway. As he was mouthing at her hip, Asami looked up when he heard a gagging noise: breathing deeply through her nose, Carla had clamped one hand over her mouth, fighting her body’s apparent urge to throw up. Asami moved back up and nuzzled along the ear, wrapping his arms around her chest and entwining their legs together. It took her so long to relax in his embrace that he had began to drift off into sleep when she spoke in a voice gone back to normal.

“You’re poking me.”

Asami smiled at the reminder of his semi-hard erection nestled between them. He waited in silence, expecting to be shoved away, but Carla did not push the issue any further and they both fell asleep.

When morning came though, it was the seam of the pillow that Asami held in his arms that poked him.

 

* * *

 

“You–! You promised not to use her!”

Asami’s hands curled into fists as he forced them to remain in his pockets. It took about half a dozen of men to physically restrain Oscar and keep him from jumping at his throat. Only when the younger man realized that he would not get past the human barrier did he lash out in the opposite direction. Tearing his gaze from him, Asami brought it back to Suoh who was sitting back down, a little unsteady.

“It’s just a scratch…” the tall guard said, clamping the patch of gauze on the left side of his forehead. “I’m sorry I couldn’t keep her from harm, Asami-sama.”

“It’s just a scratch, isn’t it?” Asami said, looking ahead again.

Suoh allowed himself to take a glance at his boss to judge his mood.

 _Wrath_. So intense it was almost visible, curling around like tendrils. But it was not directed at him.

 

* * *

 

Head drooping between his arms braced on either walls of the shower stall as the stream of water fell on the back of his neck and down his body in rivulets, Asami realized he had lost track of time. The faucets squeaked when he turned them, he pushed the steamy glass door open… and _almost_ jolted when he realized he was not alone. Carla was sitting between the two sinks on the counter.

“Good thing I’m not a foe, hm?” she said, an apologetic smile on her face. She was uneasy, failing for the very first time to hold the hard golden gaze.

Asami glared at her as he slipped in a bathrobe, his eyes zeroing on the thick gauze dressing covering the upper part of her right ear. A ridiculously minor injury, considering her reckless attempt to take down two tens of gangsters _alone_. If Suoh and his men had not made it on time… “Why the hell did you do something so stupid?” Asami snarled.

Carla’s face gradually turned expressionless at that. “It was the only –”

“What, the only way?” Asami interrupted sharply. “To get rid of me or to emphasize on my inaction and failing you?”

Her eyes widened, genuinely shocked. “Nothing like that…”

But Asami walked past her and out the bathroom. “Go back to your room, Carla.”

He went to lie down on the bed, eyes closed and hands resting on his stomach, his fingers entwined. Carla was so silent Asami could have forgotten her presence had it not been for the characteristic shift of the mattress. She slowly made her way to him and settled her cheek in the crook between his shoulder and his chest. The smell of her hair immediately invaded his nose. _Citrus_.

“Do you miss your country a lot?” she asked softly, trailing a finger on his knuckles.

Asami felt her head move up when he did not reply, and she started playfully pinching his fingers between her thumb and index. “I’m glad you’re safe.” he finally said.

Asami heard Carla’s breath catch in her throat at that. Supporting herself on a forearm, she slowly nuzzled up the column of his neck before rubbing their noses together, and eventually brushed her lips against his. Her breathing was slightly labored on Asami’s skin when she started kissing him, and she sighed a moan as she slipped her tongue in his mouth. Meanwhile, Asami kept his eyes closed and laid perfectly still, not kissing back yet granting her entry. He wanted to see how far Carla would go, and she did not disappoint: without breaking the kiss, she straddled him and continued exploring his mouth lazily.

Finally opening his eyes, Asami reached up and brushed her hair behind her ear. Carla was slightly startled by the sudden yet tender movement, and pulled back a little to look at him. They both stared at each other for a suspended second, molten gold and silver slowly disappearing behind the black of their pupils dilating in arousal.

Her eyes swept over his face through fluttering lids, but the hand that tugged at the belt of his bathrobe was precise and confident. Wrapping an arm around Carla’s waist, Asami suddenly rose to sit up and sealed their lips together again as his hand traveled up her thigh, pulling her nightgown with it. Asami groaned in her mouth when she did not shy away, and the deep kiss turned into breathy, hurried pecks as they pulled at the pieces of clothing that still separated them and could not get out of the way fast enough.

Pulling his arm free out of the last sleeve that still covered him, Asami surged forward and rolled them until Carla was lying on her back, and him on his side. Burying his face in the crook of her neck, Asami mouthed at the stuttering pulse and let his hand roam, further down and further still… 

He felt her moan vibrate in her throat when he slipped two fingers through the wet folds. A whole-body shudder rocked her, and she tipped her forehead against his. “Ryuichi…”

Asami felt more of his blood plummet down south at the plea. He curled his fingers inside for a while longer before pressing against the back of her knee, pulling the leg apart. Shifting his hips, Asami grasped his length and aligned himself, prodding at the insanely warm entrance with the last bit of self control he still had. But Carla seemed to be determined to make him lose his mind: she threw one arm around his neck and pulled him close, while her other hand feathered up and down his side.

“All yours, Ryuichi.” came the purr in his ear. Asami growled in response as he sheathed himself, revelling in her breathless gasps.

Although he had never suffered a shortage of enthusiastic partners, it had been a long time since he was last with a woman. So long that he had almost forgotten the smoothness of the skin, the higher pitch of the moans, how soft that tightness around him felt compared to the more painful narrowness experienced with male partners. Asami started rolling his hips, slowly at first, before picking up the pace while Carla panted in his mouth, her legs wrapped around his waist. Just as he was promising himself not to come until she did, a chuckle escaped her lips.

“You look like you could come undone any second.”

Asami slipped two fingers in her mouth and rubbed them on her tongue. “Do I now?”

Carla’s glinting eyes widened at the dangerously playful tone, and realized his intention a split second too late when he reached down. “Hey! That’s cheatin _nnghh_!”

She arched her hips clean off the bed while digging her nails in his back, legs shaking uncontrollably, and it was Asami’s turn to chuckle in her ear between two kisses planted on the hairline. Feeling that he was reaching his limit as well, Asami moved to pull out only to feel Carla’s legs promptly tighten around him, keeping him inside as she whimpered in protest.

“If I don’t –”

“Don’t worry.” she cut off. “The factory went out of business months ago.”

Lifting his head to look at her, Asami found her smiling, but her expression carried an unmistakable bitterness. Given his line of work, it was not the first time Asami heard of a woman’s body inability to procreate after getting beat up, but it kind of ruined the mood somehow and he found himself lost for words. Turning her head to the side, Carla let out a tired laugh, prompting him to finish already.

That was not what Asami was after. He withdrew himself unceremoniously, pulling out a gasp from her in the process, and kneeled on the bed. Carla immediately started rolling her body to the side, clearly misunderstanding his intent. Asami grabbed her hips and dragged her to him so that the back of her thighs rested on the front of his. He loomed over her astonished figure, smirking. “ _Finish?_ How disappointing… I thought you would have more endurance than that.”

It was obvious, brazen teasing, and Carla responded to it by returning the smirk before pushing herself up to Asami, both her arms wrapped around his neck so that she was sitting in his lap.

This time, Asami made sure they reached their climax at the same time.

 

* * *

 

The twins insisted on going back down to Parrita and bought a house near the coast, with a huge garden. As days went by, Carla’s overall mood and condition improved: she gained weight for one, her bones no longer poking out her skin, her complexion now glowing instead of greyish dull. It turned out that she loved singing – especially with a glass of rum or tequila in hand – and often threw night-long parties in the backyard out of the blue. Asami did not exactly attended them, but would often casually show up in the middle of the night. Since the parties were organized with little care to the weather forecast, the guests found themselves surprised by heavy rains and even thunder more than once. When it happened, Carla would take advantage of the frenzy of people running around for shelter to grab Asami by the arm and lead him to quiet places around the property where they could hold each other in peace, safe from indiscreet eyes and ears. Their nightly encounters had turned into playful challenges where the winner was the one who managed to _exhaust_ the other first.

But now that every party had honored their part of the contract, there were no reasons for Asami and his men to stay in Costa Rica. Carla seemed to have sensed they were on the go, and started avoiding him and his two right-hand men entirely.

 

* * *

 

Kirishima checked his watch again and found out that only four seconds had passed since the last time he did. They had been absent for way too long in the end, or at least long enough for the memory of Asami’s wrath to fade away from some of his suppliers’ minds… Not only would he have to remedy it, but also set an example for the future.

“Asami-sama,” Kirishima approached his boss, his head bowed in apology. “If we don’t leave now, we will miss the meeting with –”

“Yes, I know.” the crime lord answered, clearly irritated as he scanned the vicinity.

“Don’t waste your time, she won’t come. She doesn’t mean to be rude or anything, she just hates goodbyes.” Oscar appeared from nowhere and offered Asami a cigarette before leaning against the metallic rail, blowing little puffs of smoke as he spoke. “You have your own plans and she has hers now. You can’t stay here and she won’t follow you there.” he shrugged. “That’s life, man.”

Asami did not reply as Oscar did not seem to expect him to, anyway. What was there to answer, anyhow? He already knew all that. But now it was time to part for an indefinite amount of time, and he was expecting a proper farewell. When had he become so _sentimental_?

Oscar looked somewhere behind Asami and chuckled before letting his cigarette drop at his feet. “You should go now, before your secretary dies from an ulcer or something.” Oscar landed a heavy hand on Asami’s shoulder. “Thanks for everything, _amigo_.”

Asami mirrored the gesture. “Yeah. Take care.”

 

Once on the plane, Asami dialed the satellite phone. The pick up was instant, though she did not speak. Asami could only hear her breathing. Neither said anything for a moment.

“It’s me.” Asami said, finally breaking the silence.

“I know.”

“I’m going back to Japan.”

“I know.”

 _Gosh, this woman._ A new silence settled briefly, that Asami broke again.

“I left a present for you.”

“Oh yeah, what is it?” Carla faked nonchalance, but failed to conceal the interest in her voice.

“That book you tried to read…”

“Oh damn, you could have at least offered me something useful! Like a gun, or your watch…”

Asami could not help but chuckle. “Take care, Carla.”

“Ryuichi?” His name came out hurried, trembling.

“Yes?”

“…Thanks.”

“Y–”

_Click._

 

* * *

 

_4 years later_

As expected, the party was a success. The club was full of people, pouring in and agglutinating around him yet Asami had felt the shift in the atmosphere somehow. He spotted her before any of his men even got to reach him with the information.

Carla was walking around in her usual nonchalant yet elegant way, as if she attended opening parties of high-standing members-only clubs on a weekly basis, a peaceful expression on her face. She offered soft smiles to the guests she passed by, and if she could feel Asami’s eyes on her, she did not let it show. He watched her walk around the premises a while longer as she pretended to observe the decorations on display. Following the wall, Carla eventually reached the quietest corner of the room opposite the bar. The flicker in the glance she threw at Asami was not lost on him. _Come to me_.

“How many of my men did you knock out to get in here?” he asked dryly once he finally managed to reach her.

Unphased, Carla faked a naive expression. “Me? I wouldn’t dare.” her face split into a feral smile then. “But I think your old guard remembers I am not to be fucked with… Speaking of which, have you only been with men lately? Because they looked _really_ confused when I said I was here to see you…”

 _Of course they would._ Carla stood out, and not just because she was a foreigner who did not speak the language, or the fact that she did not care to hide her right ear whose upper part was entirely missing, destroyed by that bullet four years ago. No, she just naturally stood out, whether in a room full of people or on an empty terrasse, whether she sat quietly in a corner or sang and danced like she was possessed, no matter what she wore… Well, tonight the asymmetric emerald dress that hugged her curves just might have something to do with it, though… Asami lifted his gaze back to her face upon hearing her soft chuckle.

“What are you doing in Tokyo, Carla?”

She hesitated a second before replying. “I was in Europe and decided to take the long way home, is all.”

Asami opened his mouth to inquire further, but an important politician intercepted him and Carla seized the opportunity to turn away, grabbing a glass of champagne from a tray before disappearing in the crowd. She made herself discreet after that, and Asami did not see her until the wee hours of the morning when he spotted her on the balcony, smiling and nodding politely to a drunk geriatric businessman who was trying to convince her to come to the harbour with him to see his newest yacht.

 

Kirishima was at his boss’s side mere seconds after he had caught the narrowing of his eyes.

“Isn’t it about time our guests go home?”

“…Yessir.”

Asami stayed rooted in his spot while the employees spread around the club to thank the patrons and lead them out. Carla got up from her seat but stayed still, her eyes riveted on Asami. They both stood opposite from each other, like two boulders in a river as the stream of patrons flew around them to the exit. As the last guests were leaving, Carla finally walked back inside the otherwise empty room and circled around Asami like a lion around its prey, while staying out of his immediate reach.

“Tell the cleaning team they have the night off.” Asami said to Kirishima without tearing his gaze from her. The secretary bowed and closed the door behind him.

As Asami slowly stepped in her direction, she walked backwards nonchalantly. Not out of fear though; Carla _never_ retreated and her eyes were locked in his. If anything, she was leading him exactly wherever she wanted him… which turned out to be the bar counter, apparently, as it stopped her abruptly in her tracks when her back hit it.

“…Taking the long way home, huh?” Asami half-growled.

Carla smiled a little wider and cocked her head to the side as an answer. Asami kept crowding closer, each step deliberately slow. Standing still, she watched him advance, but the involuntary flicker of her eyes and shuddering breath were not lost on Asami. “Are you not happy to see me?” she finally asked, “…or are you seeing somebody right now?”

“That’s really none of your business.”

They now stood close enough to see each other’s pupils dilating with every passing second.

“Depends on your next move.” she purred.

At that Asami gripped the back of her neck and crashed their mouths together in a fierce kiss, teeth clashing and all. She tasted just like he remembered: mildly sweet from all the fruits – and alcohol – she consumed, with an aftertaste of the mint that flavored her lip balm.

Carla bit his tongue to force him to pull away so she could speak. “Is that a ‘’no’’?”

“Yes.”

She smiled before promptly sealing their lips back together. Asami looped an arm around her waist and wiped clean the top of the nearest table, sending glasses and napkins flying, before laying Carla down on it a little too hard.

 

* * *

 

“I need the jacket back.” Asami said without looking.

“Nope.” Asami turned to find Carla tightening said piece of clothing around her waist. “You destroyed the clasp of my dress!” she explained with half-feigned indignation.

Asami’s eyes narrowed. “ _You_ used _my_ hand to tug at it.”

She turned around, no longer paying attention. The tuxedo jacket was too large for her and barely covered her upper thighs, but she still walked out and past Asami’s stupefied men with all the confidence in the world despite her ruined dress hanging from one of the jacket’s pocket. The ride in the limo was spent in contented silence, until they approached their destination and Carla looked out the window at the tower they were approaching.

“You really like taking me to hotels, hm?”

“No.” Asami could not help but smirk. “I like taking you _in_ hotels.”

 

* * *

 

Another long, pleasured sigh filled the bathroom.

“Stop that.”

“Stop what?” Above the mischievous grin, silver eyes opened to slits and locked on him for a moment before moving to the bicep Asami was still massaging.

When they had first walked into the hotel room earlier, Asami had claimed the shower for himself first. But before he could even reach for the soap, Carla had appeared in his back, making her presence known by biting hard at his arm, which had inevitably led to angry shower sex. Now, they were both sitting at either end of the bathtub filled with warm water, facing each other, and Carla kept letting out dramatically exaggerated sighs.

Once out of the bath, she tried to convince Asami to blow-dry her hair for her. Unsuccessful, she covered herself with a simple towel and walked towards the door, announcing she was going to ask Suoh instead. Asami caught her by the arm just in time and threw her on the bed, where she landed with a bounce and stayed there giggling.

“Here, knock yourself out.” he said as he threw the room service menu next to her before disappearing in the bathroom again.

 

* * *

 

“You people are kind of crazy about punctuality, hm? What that guy waiting behind the door with a watch in hand so that he could bring the food at the _exact_ time?” Lying on her belly, Carla was handpicking food from the numerous plates – mostly fruits and sushi – she had ordered.

“Don’t tell me you expected the whole world to live by _la hora tica_ ?” Standing a few steps from the bed, Asami was busy adjusting his watch around his wrist. “Perhaps _you people_ could take notes.”

“Or perhaps _you people_ could chill.”

They both stared at each other for a second before scoffing at the same time. Asami approached and slapped her flank with the back of his hand to make her scoot over so he could sit. “What time is your flight?”

Carla grabbed his arm, checking the watch. “I have to be there in three hours.”

“I’ll give you a lift.” _…and maybe you should get dressed, too_. Carla had ditched her towel only to loosely wrap herself in the bed sheet instead. Asami could not see her face in that position, but had a mesmerizing view on her bare back. Without thinking, he reached out and placed his hand over the rib cage that moved up and down as she breathed. His skin looked unfamiliarly pale compared to the coppered olive shade of hers.

 _Three hours._ Had they had more, he would have mouthed his way down her spine, licked until she arched like a hundred demons were being exorcised out of her body, and buried himself in that tight wetness one more time. But time seemed to be the one luxury they could not afford, and so Asami’s hand remained still.

 

* * *

 

Carla only tore her gaze from the airport entrance when one of Asami’s men placed himself by the limo and waited for his cue to open the door, blocking her view.

“So, are you giving me your…” Carla’s smile grew wider as her eyes darted to where she knew Asami kept his gun. “…watch, this time?”

“In your dreams.” he replied, his cigarette dangling between his lips.

Asami was looking right ahead, arms and legs crossed. Carla’s heavy gaze stayed on him for a long moment until he heard her knuckles knock twice against the window. But just as he turned to reach out for her, a peck was smacked on his lips before she slipped out of the car like an eel.

Carla Gómez Aguilar hated goodbyes, and all Asami Ryuichi could do was stare at the alluring silhouette walking away, at that back that did not turn… but suddenly, her arm lifted up, and Asami felt the corners of his mouth twitch when she threw a ‘’peace’’ sign before she turned a corner and disappeared.

 

It was Kirishima who pulled him from his thoughts, always efficient in bringing him back to reality. “Asami-sama, our contact may have found the identity of the photographer who has been sniffing around lately. Takaba Akihito, twenty-three years old.”

“Takaba… Never heard of him before. Keep investigating. If he keeps it up, I’ll take care of him myself.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave Kudos if you too, would cross an ocean and 3 whole continents to get a dick injection from Asami!
> 
> Hm? What's that?  
> Ooooh, you wanted to know how the whole Fei Long encounter from the previous chapter would end up?! *evil grin*  
> Well, looks like you'll have to wait until Chapter 8 for that!  
> —
> 
> [ 05 February 2019: I'm extremely busy at the moment (moving out, traveling, caring for relatives, you name it!) so I cannot guarantee that the next chapter will be posted before March… I'll do my best though, thank you for your understanding and sorry to keep you waiting like this! Please follow me on Twitter to keep up with announcements: twitter.com/reya_wrights ]


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *wheezing in agony* Hey, I managed not to break my "every second month" rule! \o/

“I heard a pretty strange rumor… So strange in fact, that I had to come and see for myself if there was any truth to it.” Fei Long’s amused eyes darted to the other side of the room where Joaquina, surrounded by half a dozen of her father’s alert men, still played with the magical toy he had given her earlier. “‘’In addition to his blonde sex toy, Asami Ryuichi now also keeps a clear-eyed little scamp.’’ …is what is being said.”

Lips tight, Asami kept his eyes riveted on the leader of _Baishe_ and his arms crossed across his chest to avoid reaching out for his gun. His choice of actions was limited since they were in public. Fei Long knew that well, and took pleasure in studying the man’s reactions – or lack thereof – as he deliberately played with the fire that danced in Asami’s eyes.

“Some even said that it was you and your legendary virility who managed to impregnate Akihito… How is he recovering? Is his body still as lean and enticing as I remember it?”

Still not biting the bait, Asami merely raised a single eyebrow. “You left your opium boudoir and came all the way from Hong Kong to fact-check some rumor you heard?”

“I did.” Fei Long turned his hungry gaze back to the child. “And I am not disappointed. She has your eyes, somehow, and your dispositions for languages too… Her mother was Hispanic, right? Ah, poor Akihito… Even if she’s out of the picture, I wonder how he –”

Fei Long just had time to place the hand that was playing in his hair in front of him to prevent his head from colliding with the table. In the blink of an eye, Asami had pounced from his seat and grabbed him by the open collar of his shirt and pulled down, twisting it with an iron grip. Immobilized, Fei Long hissed like an angry snake but lifted a few fingers as a silent order to his men standing nearby not to intervene before Asami spoke in his ear.

“Let me be absolutely clear, Fei Long.” came the dangerously low rumble. “I won’t hesitate to empty a whole charger on you right here and there if you keep running your mouth. Now if, for whatever reason, you set foot on my turf uninvited again or approach my family in any way, there will be hell and then some to pay.”

Asami abruptly let go then, pushing Fei Long back in his seat as he sat back in his. Discheveld, the _Baishe_ leader brought a slightly shaking hand to his neck, his furious gaze never leaving Asami. On either sides of the two crime lords, their respective guards scrutinized their bosses, waiting for any sign from them to tear the other group apart, ready to defend their masters’ honor with their lives.

The sudden clatter of Joaquina’s shoes against the immaculate floor troubled their attention. Oblivious to the tense atmosphere, the child slalomed through the men armed to the teeth, her hair and dress bouncing with every step. She stopped by her father’s side and placed the dessert menu she held in his hands.

“Tata, look! This cake looks good, and it’s for three people… Can we, um…”

The sheer disbelief and mild outrage on the faces of Fei Long’s guards as they watched the little girl implicitly offer that their boss share cake with her could have been hilarious in other circumstances. The two crime lords, however, had kept their eyes riveted to the other the whole time.

“I doubt there’s any time for that, Joaquina.” Asami said in an even voice. “Some people have things to do and should be on their way.”

Fei Long got the message and finally regained his composure at that, smiling as he elegantly ran a hand through his hair. “…Right. Young lady, I’m afraid we must say goodbye now.”

Joaquina’s face fell. “Ah… Goodbye, then… _Liu. Fei. Long._ ” she said, pronouncing each name with the perfect intonation.

The man’s smile turned feral again. “Remarkable! Absolutely remarkable. What a brilliant girl, really.” he said, and Joaquina blushed at the praise.

Fei Long got up from his seat and threw one last hard look at Asami, who replied by putting a cigarette between his lips without looking at him. Remembering that his boss had vowed not to smoke in front of his daughter, Kirishima stayed rooted in his spot instead of offering to light the stick like he usually did, and watched the Chinese man walk away.

Joaquina’s eyes followed him until he turned a corner, thus completely disappearing from her sight. “This is the prettiest person I have ever seen in my entire life…” she said before turning back to her father. “Oh! By the way, he told me to tell you that I and Aki and you are welcome to visit him on his island anytime! Can we go someday, please?”

“Absolutely not.” This time, Asami’s tone was harsh enough even for the five year-old to know better than to insist.

 

* * *

 

The Sion tower in which all of Asami’s legal activities were administered offered more than the average office building in Tokyo. In order to cater to the employees’ needs, several restaurants and cafeteria spread on three entire floors. Two floors housed one large room that could be either used for important conferences or parties, while another one was dedicated to a fitness and showers, and an underground parking went deep enough to be available for both employees and guests alike. However, few knew what could be found on the top five floors, aside from the owner’s office. Access to these upper quarters was restricted and the security was always extremely tight.

One of the handful of people who were privileged enough to be part of Asami Ryuichi’s inner circle – and thus have access to the secret five top floors – was Takaba Akihito. He knew about the bodyguards’ ‘’break room’’ that was actually more of a free hotel specially for them. He knew that Asami’s office was not on the top floor ‘’for safety reasons in case of an attack’’ as the man himself had explained. He also knew how the owner’s desk felt against naked skin, and how to access the private bedroom and bathroom. Finally, he knew that on one entire floor was a _dojo_.

It could have been mistaken for an ancient, well preserved, traditional dojo had it not been located on the last floor of a skyscraper. Asami and his men trained there on a regular basis, and Akihito had started taking classes a year ago with either him or Suoh. Even if he was a naturally fast runner with great agility, a complete lack of fighting techniques could only take him so far.

When Akihito walked in the dojo that day, he was welcomed by the tantrum Joaquina was throwing: she stomped her foot in anger while standing up to an apologetic Suoh who, in contrast, spoke to her as calmly as he could.

“How does it matter that I’m a girl?! You think girls are weak? Is that what it is?!” she pressed.

“Miss, that’s not what I meant…”

“That’s what you said just now!”

For once, Akihito thought, everyone there was oblivious to his presence as he made his way to the duo arguing. Usually, most of the guards already present would throw glances at him while others pretended to be too focused to see him, and a minority bowed to him. But in the end, regardless of how it was displayed, the attention made Akihito slightly uncomfortable. There were about thirty guards _supposed to be_ training that day, but they could not help but stare at the scene of this little girl, whose height barely reached the chief of security’s hip, urging him to spar with her.

The giant man was still trying to reason with the child by the time Akihito reached them, seemingly choosing his words carefully. “…Girls and women are in general lighter in weight than boys and men, that’s why –”

“Aki! Suoh-san won’t fight me because I’m a girl!” Joaquina complained, pointing at the sorry guard as soon as she saw Akihito.

“…As I was explaining, Miss, weight plays an important role in –”

“How about you and I fight, then?” Akihito said with a smile. He put his backpack down before indicating the other side of the tatami to the ecstatic child. “Go over there… Okay, first you – _Uwah!_ ”

Standing on the side, Suoh was the only one who saw how close Akihito’s leg came to breaking in two when Joaquina charged at full speed and _climbed_ the young man’s body like a monkey, taking support on the back of his knee. She crossed her legs around his waist while holding tight onto his upper arms, but aside from making Akihito lose his balance when she pulled on his limbs, she did not do much damage…

After a few minutes, Suoh was about to interfere but Akihito cut him off when he let out a triumphant laugh worthy of a cheesy anime villain. “Ha-ha-ha-haa! You fell right into my trap!”

Joaquina’s eyes widened as Akihito bent forward, supporting the child’s weight on his back to prevent her falling down, before he threw his arms behind him to tickle her. Her attempts to escape soon sent them both rolling on the floor, laughing as if they were alone in the world. Concentration long gone, even Suoh could not order the guards present in the dojo from watching the tickling match, much less the tender looks from blooming on their usually hard faces.

 

* * *

 

It had been so long since Asami had walked into a room to see a row of backs turned against him, indifferent to his presence, that he had forgotten how it felt. Usually, he was met by bowed heads and solemn salutations wherever he went. But today, as Asami Ryuichi walked in _his_ own private dojo in the building _he_ owned, he found the attention of _his_ men seemingly caught by something much grander than him. Voices – two, actually – became clearer as he unhurriedly approached the group of people still oblivious to his presence gathered at the center of the room.

“No, no! Joaquina, you must bow first!”

“ _Bow?_ Why would I say hello to someone I’m going to fight? Poor Aki, you really don’t know anything about fighting, huh? Here, I’ll show you… First you poke your enemy’s eyes with two fingers, like _this_. Or if you have a glass, you can smash it on their head! Like _this_! But it’s better to use a bottle though, it’s more efficient.” Joaquina then lowered her voice to a whisper that was still loud enough for the whole dojo to hear. “And here’s a secret technique: if it’s a boy you’re fighting, always aim for the crotch! I don’t know why, but apparently it’s their weak spot!”

Asami sighed softly. No need to ask where she had learned all that…

The noise caught the attention of one guard, who jolted, tripped and almost fell on his face as he spun around before bending at the waist. The others mirrored the movements and bowed as one man to their boss. Past the sea of backs and sweaty necks, Asami saw the two objects of his attention whip their heads in his direction.

“Tata!” Joaquina ran to him, slaloming through the guards, and hugged her father around the knees. “I’m fighting with Akihito!”

Asami smiled, patting the wavy hair. “Are you, now? Who’s winning?”

Joaquina turned to Suoh, who had just given a signal for the guards still standing by to disperse, with a questioning look. “It seems to be a tie, sir.”

“She refuses to observe dojo etiquette, too.” Akihito added loudly. Asami looked up and found his scowling lover sitting on his butt, supporting himself on his hands and feet.

“Aki, I told you being polite to your enemies makes _no sense!_ ” Joaquina yelled before looking back up to her father, clutching the hems of his jacket. “Will you fight with me, Tata? Please say yes!”

Asami purposely waited a few seconds before agreeing, and Akihito slowly rolled himself off the tatami. Not knowing what to expect, three tens pairs of eyes followed the man shrugging his jacket off as he followed the child.

Asami had never shown a single smile while in the dojo, until Akihito had first walked in. Actually, Asami only smiled while he was ‘’fighting’’ Akihito. Their sessions were really just an excuse for him to grope the boy, and usually they ended up with the crime lord ordering the room to be cleared so they could have some privacy. But now, his lips stretched tenderly as his gaze followed his daughter who scampered away before turning abruptly around to face her opponent. Joaquina braced her feet and arbored her most wicked smile.

“Asami!”

The man turned in the direction of his lover’s voice. Sitting on the sidelines, Akihito’s face bore a carefully concealed expression that a five year-old could not possibly decipher. _Go gentle._

Joaquina was already running at full speed by the time Asami looked back at her. Suoh and Akihito braced themselves for the impact, but it never came. When the child’s head was just a few steps away from colliding with his knees, Asami had crouched down. Seizing the small shoulders, he gently but quickly pushed Joaquina to the ground and lifted his own body over hers in the air before falling flat on his back.

Confused, Joaquina blinked a few times and sat up, looking around in search of her father. She smiled when she found him, still laying down, praising her strength. They spared again and again and every time, Asami manoeuvred the tiny body around his, giving Joaquina the illusion that she had won the round, and her high-pitched victory cries filled the dojo.

After a while, though, she turned away. “It’s Aki’s turn now, I want to see you two fight!” She pulled the young man down by the hand and whispered: “Be careful, he let me win on purpose.” before pushing him to Asami.

Akihito noticed the older man’s expression shifting from amused and tender to dangerous and lustful as he approached. Hoping the shiver running down his spine went unnoticed, the young man adopted the guarding stance he had learned. Asami was on him in no time, but as always, Akihito felt his body land on the floor as lightly as a feather. His lover’s weight, however, crushed him without mercy.

Pushing, struggling, Akihito was rendered a pitiful panting mess as he tried in vain to wriggle out from under the much larger body. “Okay Asami… Get off me…”

“With all the techniques you’ve learned by now, I’m sure you can dislodge yourself just fine.” Asami then lowered both his body and voice and rumbled against a reddening ear. “Come on, Akihito, squirm under me so–”

“Aki! I’ll save you!”

The war cry and the quick tapping noise of bare feet against the floor had both men look up. Joaquina was charging again. Upon impact, Asami sat up on his heels but kept Akihito trapped under him with his legs. The child pushed against her father’s shoulder with her whole body, but it was far from enough to make him even budge.

“Uwaa– Asami! Stop!”

Asami had gotten up and was walking backwards, dragging Akihito with him without giving him a chance to catch his footing. Holding on to the corded arms wrapped around his chest, the young man saw Joaquina’s eyes narrow in front of them as she clenched her tiny fists at her sides. She looked like her father when he was mad somehow, but in a much cuter way.

“You… Using Aki as a human shield… Have you got no honor?!”

Unbelievable. It was like a real-life overdone martial arts movie.

“It’s the only effective protection against your overbearing strength, O Powerful Warr–” Asami grunted as his monologue was cut short by Akihito’s elbow to his gut.

“On him!” was the only warning he got before the two pounced on him.

Asami’s physical strength still outdid theirs combined, but the real challenge was to make sure no one got hurt as he manoeuvred the two furies around. When he decided the ‘’fight’’ had lasted long enough, Asami lowered them down and held the smaller bodies tight against his until they calmed down. In the end, it was just the three of them panting and laughing as they laid on the floor, the guards long gone.

“Aki and I make a good team, right?”

“An excellent one.” Asami chuckled.

Joaquina suddenly sat up. “Can we go eat now? I need to become super heavy so I can take Suoh-san down!”

 

* * *

 

Adjacent to the dojo was a private bathroom for Asami’s use only. He went in first with Joaquina to help her wash while Akihito waited for his turn outside, replying to emails on his phone. The child stepped out a few minutes later, already fully clothed.

“Aki, Tata wants you to shower too.” she informed as she walked past him.

“O– Hey, where are you going?”

“Off to play with Kirishima-san!” she said and waved at him without halting her steps.

Craning his neck, Akihito saw the secretary waiting. This could only mean one thing… _Perverted bastard._

Akihito took a sharp inhalation before stepping into the bathroom. “I’m not a kid, you know. I can shower on my own.”

“I know you can, but if we do it together we can save water.” Already stark naked, Asami tossed his pants aside and faced Akihito who was staring at him, immobile. “Shall I help you take your clothes off?”

He felt the corners of his mouth twitch when he saw Akihito blink a few times – a sign of his brain rebooting – before he started peeling his clothes off, blushing as he glared at him. Asami then moved aside as an indication for the young man to enter first. The boy obliged after a few seconds of hesitation, raising his shoulders and lowering his head like a wary child when he walked past him.

Akihito went straight to the end of the cubicle. He half expected Asami to follow him and pin him against the wall, but the older man stopped to stand under the shower, closed his eyes and tilted his head up, allowing the water to drench his hair. Akihito did not realize how intently he was staring at the rivulets running down the muscular body until he finally caught Asami’s smirk. It was only when the man glanced down that Akihito covered his growing erection and looked away, embarrassed.

“Bastard, you did that on purpose…” he muttered.

Asami chuckled and placed a hand on the young man’s hip before pulling the lithe body into an embrace and proceeded to wash them both. _Thoroughly._ Akihito’s squirms and sharp breaths as his hands roamed his skin awakened the beast inside Asami. Seizing the narrow waist, he turned Akihito around before reaching down and gave the erection a few pumps. A long moan escaped his lover as he laid the back of his head against his shoulder, exposing his neck.

“Put your leg on the grab bar.” Asami ordered while sucking the stuttering pulse.

“A–Asami, I’ll slip…”

“I’ve got you.” the taller man growled as he hugged Akihito tighter against his chest.

That, he did. Asami _always_ had him, and in more ways than one. So Akihito carefully lifted his leg up until it rested horizontally on the metal bar from knee to ankle.

“Good boy.” Granted better access, Asami thrusted home.

 

* * *

 

“Did you get hurt during the fight, Aki? You’re walking funny…”

 

* * *

 

“This can’t continue, Asami!”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Akihito.” the older man replied with all the serenity in the world, sipping a glass of whiskey.  

“You can’t keep on buying her things all the time!” Akihito exploded, gesturing to the sea of silk papers covering the whole living room.

Asami bought his daughter so many clothes and toys that, at this rate, the whole penthouse would fail to contain them all by the end of the year, in turn forcing its current inhabitants to find another place to live. Besides, he did not just shop at the ‘’regular’’ kids shops. In true Asami fashion, all the gifts Joaquina received from her father were nothing but luxury items, mostly imported from the West. One of the little girl’s Winter pajama probably cost more than all of Akihito’s childhood clothes combined.

Asami was obviously in a good mood tonight, and Akihito’s irritation only amused him more. “She behaved extremely well today, so a reward was in order… Are you mad because you want presents too?” Asami asked innocently, though he knew well that was not the issue. “Look under the table.” he added before his lover could retort.

The young man hesitated a few seconds before he crossed the littered living room until he reached the piece of furniture indicated, his eyes never leaving Asami. Without a word, the older man glanced down to the table and turned his gaze back to the blonde boy standing before him. Akihito finally knelt down.

“What the –” Pulling out the white and green carton box from under the table with trembling hands, Akihito looked back up to Asami. “How even…”

It was the newest camera model Akihito had been eyeing for a while. The newest model that was not supposed to be available on the market for another two weeks. The one that cost ‘’a lung and a kidney’’ Akihito had once mused bitterly. It was in his hands now, and he could not stop his wide eyes from looking alternatively at Asami and the carton.

“Open it.” Asami purred.

Akihito obliged with trembling hands, carefully extirpating the precious device and its panoply of accessories under Asami’s intense gaze. “Why…?”

“Is it wrong for me to want to spoil the people I love?”

Akihito looked up, wide-eyed, and found no traces of embarrassment or mockery on Asami’s face. This was pure, raw honesty – and it was too intense, too fast. Akihito tore his gaze away and brought his attention back to his brand new camera before the molten gold eyes burned him alive. They had been in a steady relationship for over three years and it was not the first time Asami voiced his love for him, but Akihito could not help but feel a bit overwhelmed when it was in a context other than lovemaking.

Asami relaxed back on the couch and resumed sipping his whiskey while Akihito further discovered his new camera, and none said anything for a while… until Akihito turned abruptly and snapped a photo of his lover with a mocking laugh.

Asami let out an amused sigh and hunched forward until his elbows rested on his knees. “Let me see how it works.”

Akihito handed him the camera as if it was a newborn baby and proceeded to explain which button did what, and why it was so amazing. Asami seemed genuinely interested, but Akihito gradually felt his own concentration leave him. The expensive cologne mixed with tobacco invaded his nose, he could hear the deep vibrations in the man’s throat whenever he spoke, and he was so close to him he could almost…

Slowly, Akihito leaned forward and planted the softest kiss on Asami’s neck. When the older man slowly turned his head to meet his lover’s mouth, Akihito put a finger across his lips.

“This… This is _not_ as thanks for the camera!”

Asami smiled. “I know. You were never the sugar baby type, anyway.” he said before devouring Akihito’s mouth as he placed the gift in safety next to him on the couch.

Without breaking the kiss, the young man knelt between his knees, and Asami soon felt Akihito’s fingers fumble with the buttons of his shirt as he undid them one by one. Pushing him back against the cushions, Akihito kissed his way down the strong jaw and neck, and parted the shirt with his nose to access the muscular chest. The salient abs were already heaving up and down by the time his mouth reached them, and he soon started working on opening Asami’s dress pants. The older man helped him free the growing erection by lifting his hips from the couch slightly.

Akihito started by laying small kisses along the length, the way he knew Asami liked. He then swirled his tongue around the head before engulfing it and began bobbing his head slowly, swallowing further every time, until his nose reached the hairy nest. Feeling tears starting to bead at the corners of his eyes, he hummed lowly as an attempt to cancel the gag reflex and looked up at Asami, whose breath was becoming laborious. Locking his eyes on the blazing golden orbs, Akihito picked up the pace.

But just when he felt that Asami was about to come, the older man suddenly grabbed the back of his head and pulled him away as he got up from the couch. Before Akihito could register what was happening, he found himself lying flat on his back on the carpeted floor, his lover on top of him as silk papers flew in slow motion all around them.

Asami observed the young man under him. Wide hazel eyes blown almost completely black in arousal looked right back at him. Flushed cheeks, swollen wet lips, a string of saliva running down his chin… Akihito looked cuter than ever. The boy arched under Asami when he ran a hand under his t-shirt to pinch a nipple.

“Ryuichi… The bed… Take me –”

“I’ll take care of you right here.” came the growl against his temple.

“ _Mmh…_ ”

“Aki, Tata, are you wrestling?”

The horrified gasp that Akihito let out was barely human. Pushing Asami off him, he rolled until he was sitting in front of him on the floor. Joaquina was standing in the doorway, staring at them both with wide intrigued eyes.

“N–no! We…! It’s not–! We were, um…”

Behind him, Asami pulled his zipper up before throwing his arms around Akihito in a tight hug. “You see, Joaquina, when two adults love each other very mu–”

“Argh! Asami! Shut up! Zip it!” Akihito yelped as he fought to cover his lover’s smirking lips. “Wh– What is it you need?” he asked Joaquina with a twisted smile once he managed to clamp his hands around her father’s jaw.

“Water. A glass of water. Can I…?” Joaquina spoke slowly, as if concerned about Akihito’s sanity and current mental capacity.

It was Asami who got up, swinging his leg above Akihito’s head as he went to walk to the kitchen with the girl. When he came back to the living room after seeing her back to her bedroom, the blonde man had left. He found him tucked in the large bed they shared, his hazel eyes staring right at him. _Expecting._ Asami immediately noticed the pile of clothes on the floor, and sent his down to join them before sliding in the bed. Akihito did not complain or fight when he placed himself above him and spread his legs wide. Instead, the young man circled his arms around Asami’s neck.

“What is it you want, Akihito?”

“Take me, Ryuichi. _Claim me._ ”

And the man did just that, moving agonizingly slowly until Akihito came with long shattered cries only smothered by Asami’s mouth over his as they clung to each other.

 

* * *

 

“What did you do together today? Earlier, you said she behaved well…”

Above him, Akihito heard Asami sigh softly and felt the smile spread on the crown of his head. “I took her to a meeting. In the outskirts.”

Forgetting his painful lower back, Akihito sat up on the bed to look at the crime lord’s satisfied face lit only by the pale moonlight. “You did _what?_ ”

Although he was not part of any official yakuza group in Japan, Asami had since long been powerful enough to keep them all in check and got them to work either in collaboration with him, or _for_ him. A meeting in the outskirts of the city could only mean one thing: a gathering had been arranged at one group’s headquarters, and Asami had taken Joaquina with him to introduce her. In the past, the crime lord had offered Akihito to come with him to one of these, but the young man had refused, claiming that he wanted to keep as much anonymity as possible. His choice had been respected, much to his own surprise.

“I said it went well. Don’t worry.”

Asami extended a hand and caressed Akihito’s cheek tenderly until the boy relaxed against the touch and eventually laid back down on his chest, where he belonged.

 

* * *

 

Kirishima sighed out all the air his lungs contained as he let himself sink in deep cushions. There was no getting used to these meetings. The atmosphere was usually so tense that it was almost hard to breathe, and everyone present knew things could turn sour in a split second.

Today had been different though, and it was entirely due to Joaquina’s presence. As expected, the news of her existence had started spreading long ago: only half of the guests had looked genuinely astounded by the official announcement. If some of them had sulked at the perspective of being forced to tolerate a five year-old child’s presence at a day-long meeting at first, it had not last: Joaquina’s behavior had been nothing less than _impeccable._ She had been polite and quiet, thought carefully of her answers to questions addressed to her – Kirishima had seen her roll her tongue inside her mouth before she spoke – and had shown interest yet managed not to annoy the adults. In the end, even the most irascible yakuza failed to conceal the amusement and benevolence she inspired them. Asami had decided to call it a day when the bosses who had sons around Joaquina’s age had started showing a special interest in her, and Kirishima thought that he would not be surprised to receive the first offer for an arranged marriage before she got to celebrate her twelfth birthday.

But all that mattered for now, was that the meeting had achieved its core purpose. From this day on, any attack against Akihito or Joaquina was considered an attack against Asami Ryuichi himself, which was in turn considered an attack against the most powerful yakuza groups of Japan.

The most comical – or frightening – part was that neither of these two protégés had the faintest idea of what that entailed.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In every Finder fanfiction I've ever read, Asami had a dojo either in his home or in his office, so here's my contribution!  
> (I don't even know if it's canon or not at this point)


	9. The Rapt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Game time!  
> If you don't remember what I promised you a few months ago, go back to Chapter 1. If you do, proceed down. 
> 
> And if you're in the mood for riddles, here's one:  
> \- My first is a vertical rock formation  
> \- You put clothes on my second  
> \- My whole awaits you down this page

Asami woke up as soon as he heard the sound of the bedroom door. He kept his eyes closed while the faint noise of the intruder’s steps on the carpeted floor filled the room, finally opened them to slits when a finger poked his bicep.

Joaquina stood by the bed, sniffing as she clutched her baby goat toy. “I had a nightmare… Can I sleep here, please?”

Asami answered with a sleepy throat noise and managed not to wake Akihito up as he reached for the second bed cover. Joaquina put her toy on the nightstand before she climbed up next to her father and curled up in a ball, her back against his side. Using his muscular arm as a pillow, she nestled her head in the crook of his elbow.

“What was your nightmare about?” Asami asked after covering Akihito’s ear with his hand.

“The house was on fire and… we couldn’t get out…”

 _Fire again, huh?_ Joaquina was a pretty carefree child, but not in a naive or annoying way. She loved to discover the world she lived in, with everything and everyone in it. The only thing that seemed to frighten her, though, was fire. Asami had noticed her wariness whenever they were in a room with a fireplace and Akihito had told him about a similar behavior during their adventures together. Even Kanae had once reported that the little girl refused to go to sleep until she had personally made sure all heat sources in the kitchen were completely cold.

“Don’t worry.” Asami said, wrapping Joaquina’s shoulder with a heavy, reassuring hand. “The security and fire system here is impeccable.”

The child sniffed one last time before relaxing at his side.

 

* * *

 

Asami awoke with a grunt when he felt something hit his chin, and opened his eyes to find a small socked foot resting near his shoulder. Joaquina had moved from his right side to the left one and was now resting _between_ him and Akihito, whose face was crushed against her belly as she hugged him upside down with an arm loosely draped around his shoulder. Asami remained immobile and watched the two sleeping forms bathed in the rose-pink light of dawn the curtains allowed inside the bedroom.

The sight of their rib cages slowly moving up and down combined with the sound of their breaths made him feel inexplicably at peace. To hell with his empire. To hell with his wealth, his status, his businesses… The most precious things, the ones that truly mattered in his dark, ruthless world were sound asleep right here in this bed.

The realization caught Asami a little off guard, and an unfamiliar feeling coiling in his gut and creeping up his spine forced him to his feet. He tied a bathrobe around his waist and managed to put a pair of briefs on Akihito without waking him up before he exited to the kitchen.

The cupboards that once housed nothing but expensive dishes that could go weeks without being used were now home to all sorts of colorful snacks and kitchenware that came in hazardous shapes and every possible shade of pastels. Just like when Akihito had first moved into the penthouse, Joaquina left distinctive traces of her living there too.

Asami was pulled from his thoughts when he felt the unmistakable tugging on his bathrobe.

“Tata, can we bring breakfast in bed for Aki?”

 

* * *

 

Akihito was still sound asleep when they came back to the bedroom. After placing the breakfast tray in safety, father and daughter sat on the bed on either side of the young man with the utmost care not to wake him up. Asami laid back against the headboard with his legs crossed at the ankles, while Joaquina went to lie down in front of Akihito and mirrored his position.

“Aki looks so cute and precious when he sleeps… Like a little kitty!”

“Yeah, he does…” Asami smiled softly and let his fingers play lazily with blonde hair strands.

“Aki… is your treasure, right?”

Asami looked up and found Joaquina’s eyes riveted on him. Smiling as she was, he thought she had never looked more like her mother than in that instant.

The child sat up. “Mama used to say that I was her treasure, and _tío_ Oscar said she was his… Aki is Tata’s.”

Having no experience whatsoever with children to the point of cluelessness, Asami had initially thought a five year old would be oblivious to their surroundings, unable to have proper conversations with adults, and incapable of understanding the nature and dynamics of relationships between grown-ups. Whether Joaquina was especially perceptive and intelligent for her age or not, she was steadily destroying each of his preconceived ideas every time he spent time with her.

“You –”

Asami’s sentence was cut off by Akihito’s stirring. Watching him wake up was always as entertaining as it was adorable. The boy blinked several times, closed his eyes for a few seconds, let out a long sigh, and blinked again.

“Hi, Aki!” Joaquina chanted softly as she booped his nose.

Akihito made a sleepy acknowledging noise, and turned to the other side… which happened to be washboard abs. Abruptly tearing his face from the warm flesh, he rested on his back and buried his head in his shoulders, scowling as he looked from side to side. Finding himself sandwiched between _two_ Asami eyeing him mischievously was not the most peaceful way to wake up.

“What are you two up t–”

“We made breakfast in bed for you!” Joaquina shrieked, pouncing on him.

She then insisted to feed them both herself, while Asami held Akihito tight against his chest, occasionally slipping his share directly into Akihito’s mouth when the child was not looking.

 

* * *

 

Several guards exchanged unsure glances before directing their attention back to the little girl who slalomed through the men in the hallway that led to the dojo. She held a tablet and checked the screen regularly, as if looking for something – or someone. The child stopped in front of a young guard who was sitting on the floor to tie his shoes.

“Is that you?” she asked, turning the tablet in her hands for him to see the screen.

The young guard scrambled to his knees, and all blood seemed to leave his face as he was made to stare at his own photo of his personal file. “Y–yes, Miss…”

A warm smile split the girl’s face from ear to ear. “Nice to meet you! My name’s Joaquina…” she took a pink mitten from her pocket, and threw it on the floor between them. “…and I challenge you to a fight!”

Unable to utter a word, the young guard started sweating profusely as his eyes darted alternatively to the child, his colleagues who showed no sign of wanting to come to his aid, and the tiny pink mitten between his feet.

“Miss. Your sparring lesson is with me.” Everybody whipped their heads to Suoh who stood tall by the door that led to the dojo, his arms crossed on his broad chest.

“But Suoh-saaan, it says here that this one is a lightwei–”

The Head of Security simply moved aside, a silent command for the child to walk in obediently. The guards watched the sulking little girl mutter sometimes they did not understand as she picked her mitten before putting the tablet in the imposing man’s extended hand, and disappear inside the dojo after toeing her shoes off. Tearing his gaze off her when she passed him, Suoh directed a much harder one to the guards, suddenly making them all remember they had places to be.

 

* * *

 

Akihito put away the last bowl he had just washed in its right place, and glanced at Asami. The older man was sitting on an armchair and scrolling down his tablet.

“So, I was thinking about taking Joaquina to the pool sometimes. She told me she loves swimming and really misses it… Besides, if she keeps trying to swim in the tub, we’re all gonna drown one of these days.”

“It’s February, Akihito. Weren’t you the one worried about her getting a cold?”

“I’m obviously talking about an _indoor_ swimming pool.” Akihito went to lean against the wall opposite Asami and crossed his arms. “Speaking of worrying, when will you _finally_ send her to school?”

It had been a whole month since Joaquina’s passport had arrived, and she still was not going to school. Asami was known not to be a forgetful man, but the more the days passed, the more nervous Akihito felt about it.

“She won’t be going to school. I will select private tutors and she will be taking her classes in Sion.” Asami said without looking at him.

Akihito froze for a second. “What are you talking about? When did you decide that?!”

“A little while ago.” The older man deadpanned.

“You can’t do that!”

“I can.” The tone had turned harsh. Asami finally looked up. “And I will for security re–”

“It’s cruel to isolate a child!” Akihito’s furious shout resounded through the penthouse. “You can’t keep her around adults only! It’s not healthy! She needs to spend time with other kids!”

“Arguing is useless. My decision is final.”

“Fuck that! I won’t let you do that to her!”

Asami pounced from his seat at that and marched on him menacingly, crossing the large room in just three strides. Akihito took one reflexive step to the side and silently cursed himself for it, but his furious glare did not falter once, not even when the taller man grabbed him by the collar and lifted him until he was standing on his toes.

“Fetching you when you act reckless on the streets is one thing, but I will _not_ let you drag her along.”

“Wha– That’s not what it’s about, stupid! Have you listened to a word I’ve said?! She must –”

“She’s _my_ responsibility, Akihito.”

Akihito stopped fighting for a brief moment as he was rendered silent and wide-eyed at the statement and what it implied. “You… ‘’your responsibility’’ you say? As in ‘’not mine’’? I’m in this too, dickhead! I –”

His sentence was cut off by a barely audible noise, but that had both men whip their heads in its direction.

The oh so soft clicking sound of the door.

 

* * *

 

When they reached the lobby, they found two of Asami’s men guarding the front door, while their senior moved awkwardly from side to side to block Joaquina’s path. “Miss, please… I don’t want to hurt you…”

Since she could not get past the man, Joaquina hit and threw herself against his legs. Due to both exhaustion and hopelessness, each of her movement was weaker and less precise than the last.

Asami bent down to grab the child by the shoulders, which resulted in her thrashing like a devil. “Let go of me! Let go! I– I hate you!”

“And where do you plan to go?” Asami’s low voice told the men present in the lobby that he was holding onto his last bit of self-control; he could have easily tossed the child over his shoulder and locked her inside the penthouse after all. Akihito knew that better than anyone.

“I’m going to– No! Not telling you!”

“Alright. Then, _why_ do you want to leave?”

Unable to fight the large arms wrapped tightly around her, Joaquina sobbed uncontrollably and let herself drop to the floor. “I don’t want you two to scream at each other… And I don’t want anybody to die!”

The men threw questioning glances at each other and Asami loosened his hold. “Die? Who said anything about dying?”

Joaquina was breathing a little easier already, but she still would not look at either of them. “My _tío…_ He was killed after Mama said going to school was too dangerous… And then…” Her face scrunched up and she hid her face in her hands.

Asami exhaled loudly as he looked up to the ceiling. They had been warned that children were prone to making amalgams, had they not?

“Hey. Joaquina. Listen to me.” At his side, Akihito had spoken before he could, and in a soothing voice at that. Asami watched the younger man caress his daughter’s hair until she lifted her head a little to look at him. “No one’s going to die, okay? And you know why? It’s thanks to this guy.” Akihito said as he pointed to Asami with his thumb. “He’s kinda crazy about security, you see. I swear, he won’t let me go to the dentist alone! The worst is when he assigns pushy bodyguards to look after me in his place… I can’t even go to work without a gorilla in a suit on my butt! Literally the only moment I can be alone is when I go to the bathroom… And even then, sometimes they wait right outside the cubicle!”

Asami glared at his lover, but Akihito’s rambling and exasperated gesturing had brought a faint smile back on Joaquina’s face. “The thing is,” the young man continued, “even though it’s annoying, they all mean well… _He_ means well.”

Wiping her nose with the back of her hand, Joaquina lowered her gaze sadly. “Then… I guess… I don’t mind not going to school, but as long as you stop screaming at each other!”

“Sure. Deal! So… Shall we go back upstairs now?”

The child nodded and grabbed the hands Akihito and Asami offered.

The rest of the day was spent working on getting Joaquina back to a calm state. From watching cartoons and baking two batches of cookies (because they let the first one burn) to building a fort of pillows and blankets around the living room’s sofa, the three of them did everything together… But Akihito and Asami did not speak to each other.

When Joaquina eventually fell asleep in the fort, Akihito got up slowly, and snatching an unused blanket that he draped around his shoulders, exited to the balcony without a word.

 

* * *

 

The blonde hair shone like a halo under the moonlight. His back turned to him, Akihito was sitting across a wooden deck chair, immobile. Asami observed him for long minutes through the glass before he silently went to stand behind him. Not touching, yet close enough for the younger man to feel the body heat at his back. Neither said a word, the only noise being that of the ever busy city below them and the flicker of Asami’s lighter.

After a moment, he let his fingertips reach for the blonde hair, gently curling locks around his knuckles. Akihito’s head twitched but he did not move or slap the hand away, a sign that he was not angry.

“You’ll catch a cold, standing there like this…” the young man murmured.

“Don’t worry about me. I’m an idiot* after all.”

Akihito scoffed softly. This was Asami language for ‘’sorry about being a dick earlier.’’

Silence returned briefly, before the older man broke it. “Why did you change your mind all of a sudden?”

Akihito shuffled a little in his seat, and tightened the blanket around him before he answered. “Because… Security really _is_ your thing. You know about… All that.” he shrugged. “So,” Akihito turned so he could face Asami. “Did something happen?”

There it was. The anxious look that had Asami ready to wage war on the entire world if it could make it disappear. But he settled for running his thumb over the already cold cheek and along the jaw. “Nothing to concern yourself with. I’m merely taking precautions.”

Akihito perked up. “Then, have her join some activity club where she can make friends her age! Like… I don’t know, ballet? Little girls like ballet, right? Or chess – wait no, that’s not something you play in a team…”

“I get your drift.” Asami chuckled and pulled the blond head against his hip, fingers still playing in the light hair. “So… What are your thoughts on soccer?”

 

* * *

 

“Suoh-san, who’s stronger between Tata and you?”

“Miss, please focus. You misplaced your foot.”

“Ah… How long do you think it’s going to take for me to be stronger than you?”

“That will depend on the assiduity with which you train, and your _concentration._ ”

“Right… Hey, it’s too bad there’s no pool at home… You know, I can hold my breath underwater for 2 minutes and 13 seconds!”

“…You can really hold your breath for that long? Without interruption?”

“Yup! It’s my own personal record. I’ve been training every day since I was little!”

“That’s impressive, given– I mean… It’s truly impressive.”

“Thanks! Say, can everyone here swim? All the guards and you too?”

“Yes. It’s obligatory… Alright, let’s end the lesson here. I’ll take you home.”

“Oh! Can we make a stop to buy glitter, please? I need some red.”

 

* * *

 

“Yo!” Akihito simply greeted as he stepped into Asami’s office. “Say, are you aware that one of your employees is walking around showing blueprints of _your_ building to a bunch of random guys?”

The corners of Asami’s mouth lifted but his eyes did not leave his screen. “I’m aware, thank you.”

“One of them almost bumped into me… All staring at the ceiling like dead fish… What are they even doing?”

“These ‘’random guys’’ are engineers I hired to determine whether the building can welcome a pool or not.”

Asami’s smile spread even wider when he saw Akihito gaping from the corner of his eye. The young man knew he was not joking: the ceiling on this floor was so high that it could easily be split in three. When Joaquina had expressed her wish to attend swimming classes in addition to soccer and dancing, Asami had refused to let her go to a public pool unless he rented the premises for her use only. As expected, Akihito had objected against that option.

“Ridiculous. There’s no helping you, really… Anyway, why did you ask me to come?”

Asami’s smile fled his face. “Come over here.” he said as he got up from his chair and extended a hand in his lover’s direction.

But Akihito stayed rooted in his spot, crossing his arms over his chest. “If it’s office sex, I –”

The tall man was already walking to him. “That’s not it. There’s something I want to tell you.”

“Ah! Wait!” Akihito held onto the corded arms before they could come around him. “There’s one thing I’d like to say first!” Asami stood immobile for once, waiting. It was now or never. “I’ve been meaning to say this for a little while, and I guess I just want you to hear it, so we’re a hundred percent clear…” Feeling the weight of the golden eyes over him, Akihito turned his head to the side. “I’m not trying to be… I’m not trying to replace her mother or anything. I know I’m not her parent, and I know I’m not _her_ , and that… I couldn’t even if I wanted to, anyway.”

Asami’s brow furrowed at the last part that was all but muttered.

Grabbing the young man’s chin, he forced the hazel eyes in his. “You’re mine, Akihito. _You_ belong with _me_.” Still holding the jaw in his hand, he dragged the body attached to it with him to his desk. Akihito toppled as he followed, hanging on to the wrist in front of his face for support. Asami swept clear the top of his desktop before pushing the young man backwards who yelped in surprise. “And I’ll drill it into you as many times as necessary.”

Akihito’s pupils dilated at the growl, and he lifted one leg up that wrapped around Asami’s waist to ease his back’s ninety-degree angle. The older man caught him in a fierce kiss, the kind that made his tongue feel like it was going to be torn apart. Akihito almost bit their lips off trying to break free.

“I– I thought you wanted to talk!”

“We’ll talk after that. I’ll need you lucid anyway.”

“Why, luc _imfh!_ ”

Asami’s large hands were about to reach his nipples when a ringtone blared somewhere on the floor.

“Asa _mmh!_ Phone…”

“They’ll call back.”

Both men jolted a second later when Asami’s cellular vibrated between them in his breast pocket. Keeping Akihito pinned to the desk with a hand on his chest, Asami cursed before taking the call.

“What?!” His eyes darted back down to Akihito and his voice resumed to professional tone. “…Right.” Moving his hand behind the young man’s neck, he pulled him up and held him against his chest. “Distract them for another minute. I’m on my way.”

Akihito chuckled against the shirt once the call was disconnected. “Did you just ask Kirishima to _distract_ someone?”

Asami righted him and brushed his thumbs on either side of the blonde head apologetically. “I have a meeting to attend. Stay right here and wait for me.”

“Ah, nope. I’m busy this afternoon, I told Joaquina we were going to Kasai Rinkai Park. But hey, tell me tonight… We’re still getting sushi, right?”

Asami smirked. “We are. _Shitloads,_ as you would say.”

“…Okay that’s it, get out of here!”

 

* * *

 

Now that Joaquina was going to Sion every day of the week, Kanae’s job had been reduced to being just a babysitter, and was only called on the rare occasions when neither her father, his employees, nor his lover were available to look after her.

“Kanae, I made this for you.” Joaquina handed her a drawing as the woman passed by the coffee table. “This is me, and this is you in the blue dress, and we’re on holidays in a princess castle.”

“Oh, it’s really beautiful! Thank you.”

The child immediately went back to work and Kanae dared to peek over the child’s shoulder. Joaquina seemed to have used most of the glitter she had come home with on a single drawing: two people were eating cake on a desert island, while pink hearts as well as red and golden birds flew around them. One person was clearly Joaquina, but Kanae could not think of the other’s identity… Actually, she could not even tell if it was a man or a woman…

The girl pulled the drawing away before she could take a closer look. Kanae was about to enquire, but changed her mind when she saw the faint smile and deep blush that had spread over Joaquina’s cheeks.

 

* * *

 

As Asami’s two right-hand men, Kirishima and Suoh could communicate in ways that would not make any sense to anyone in the world but their boss. The side glance that the Head of Security had thrown him just now meant: _Something fishy might have happened; I will look into it first._

 

* * *

 

“It’s really calm here, right Aki?”

Joaquina spread her arms and inhaled yet another lungful.

 _Too calm, actually._ With time, Akihito had become so used to noticing Asami’s men around him, that he had stopped paying them attention. He had resolved to letting them do their job, and only shook them off if their presence threatened his activity as a photographer.

A flock of birds suddenly taking off followed by the girl’s exclamation pulled him from his thoughts, and Akihito suddenly felt an unexplainable bad feeling coiling in his gut.

“Hey Joaquina… Come on, let’s go get bubble tea somewh–”

“Look, there’s something on the ground!” The child ran away before Akihito could do anything. “It’s a cellphone, Aki!”

He made his way to the little girl who had crouched down by the device. “Someone must have dropped it while jogging…” The both jumped when the phone started vibrating loudly just as Akihito took it in his hand. The number displayed on the screen looked oddly familiar to him, and made him press the phone to his ear.

“Yamada! You better have a good reason not to pick up! Report!”

“S–Suoh-san?”

“…Takaba-sama?! How come you’re ans–”

The rest of Suoh’s sentence was covered by the most ear-splitting shriek ever heard. It was entirely different from the cries of wonderment Joaquina had made the first time she had seen snow. Akihito now knew now what it sounded like when the girl was scared, and he wished he did not. He felt adrenaline flood his system at the sight of Joaquina’s legs kicking the air in a hopeless fight against the two grown hooded men who were forcing her inside a van.

 

* * *

 

“Report!” The men all righted themselves at Asami’s cold and cutting as an ice pick tone, but knew better than to stop what they were doing.

“Yamada and his team were on surveillance duty today. We lost contact for about fifteen minutes. The last we’ve heard of Takaba was when he picked up Yamada’s phone at 2:31 this afternoon… Both he and the little Miss were most likely kidnapped. We found the team heavily sedated but alive at the scene, as well as Takaba’s backpack.” Suoh recited.

“His phone wasn’t in it.” Kirishima added as he tapped on his keyboard. “We’re tracking it right now.”

 _Useless._ Asami could barely control his wrath as he barked orders. “Get the men, but lay low. I want eyes and ears on every street of Tokyo!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *apparently there's an old saying in Japan that idiots never catch colds


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Hope everyone had a nice Easter holiday. 
> 
> I felt bad about leaving you all in the dark for too long, so here is the new chapter.  
> I might go back to shorter but quicker updates, what do you think? 
> 
> Thank you for reading thus far! ♥︎

Akihito felt so nauseous, he refused to open his eyes. His body was all stiff and hurting and cold, and something poked repeatedly at his face. He tried to roll away but…

A surge of adrenaline forced Akihito’s eyes to open wide despite the cold white neon light and he realized that both his wrists and ankles were bound together. Thin plastic dug in his flesh and one of his arm had gone numb from supporting his weight on the cement floor for too long. And that annoying poking that would not stop… Akihito focused his gaze on the moving object and realized it was _a shoe._

Sitting on a shabby couch, Joaquina was looking at him with wet, terrorized eyes. Her hands were also bound in her back, but unlike him, a large piece of grey metallic duct tape covered her mouth. Akihito scrambled to his knees as well as he could and approached the child.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. I’ll remove this for you but don’t scream, alright?”

She nodded and Akihito scraped his teeth against Joaquina’s cheek until he could get ahold of the duct tape and gave a few sharp tugs to free her mouth.

“Aki!”

“Shhh, there, there, it’s okay.” Since they both had their hands tied, Akihito nuzzled against her face in an attempt to reassure her. “Are you hurt anywhere?”

Joaquina was still crying, but she shook her head from side to side. Now that he knew that they were both relatively safe, Akihito looked around.

They were in what seemed like a small break room. In addition to the couch Joaquina was sitting on, camp chairs were folded in a corner, a dirty coffee pot waited on a single counter next to a small fridge. Between the single door and them was a table whose top was covered in all sorts of tools and duffel bags as far as Akihito could see.

“We have to get rid of those binds.”

In front of him, Joaquina twisted at the waist to follow his gaze. “I’ll go. My feet aren’t tied.” she added before Akihito could retort.

Silently praying that she would not make any noise and that no one would come through the door, the young man watched her examine the table, and take something between her teeth. She came back with… a screwdriver. “That’s the sharpest thing I could find!”

Scared to hurt Joaquina, Akihito freed his own hands before hers. When he was about to go for the binds around his ankles, the door handle was lowered to the middle as indistinct voices resonated outside. Akihito clamped his hand on the girl’s mouth and they both held their breaths, eyes fixated on the door… until the handle was carelessly let go of a few seconds later.

“We need to get out of here. _Now._ ” Akihito whispered when the voices could not be heard anymore.

“Look, the wall is broken down there.”

Akihito followed Joaquina’s pointing finger to the corner opposite the door, where a wooden plank seemed to have been hastily nailed to a small part of the wall. They managed to yank it off without much noise, and fresh air enveloped them. Akihito craned his neck further down to observe their surroundings through the narrow opening.

The light of dusk reverberated on small, immobile planes. They were in an aerodrome, most likely outside the city since there were no skyscrapers in sight. In front of him, a wild grass field stretched, cut in the middle by the tarmac and even further, Akihito could guess bushes and small trees. It was risky, but not as much as staying there waiting.

“Say Joaquina, can you climb fences?”

“…Yes?”

Akihito turned to look at the child. “Listen carefully. On my count, I want you to run as fast as you can to those bushes.” He grabbed her shoulders when he saw new tears fill her eyes and fall around as she shook her head. “Listen! Asami is already looking for us, okay? But we can’t wait here! So you run, you hide, and you stay put until he gets here.”

“I… I don’t want to go without you! Come wi–”

“Don’t worry… I’ll be behind you.” Akihito made sure Joaquina could not see him crossing his fingers on her shoulder. He felt bad for lying to her but since it was to keep her safe, it was alright for now. He could figure it out with her and his conscience later. “Repeat what I said just now?”

Akihito watched determination chase away the fear from Joaquina’s face almost completely. Turning her head in the direction of her objective, she took a sharp inhalation. “I run fast to the bushes, and hide until Tata gets here.”

“Brave girl.”

 

* * *

 

As expected, localizing Akihito’s cell phone had been useless. They had found the device near some highway embranchment, thrown out the window of the vehicle that carried him. Restless, Asami lit yet another cigarette as he stared out the window. Just like his temper, the purple light of late dusk was turning darker with each passing second. No matter how fast the driver pushed the limo, being trapped in that vehicle and knowing how incredibly precious time was in kidnapping situations did not help his mood at all.

“ETA?” Asami requests again in a sharp tone he somehow still manages to control.

Sitting across him, Kirishima dares not look up from his screen. “Less than five minutes. The place indicated by the informants is right on the other side of that fence. We just have to follow the road for now.”

Bright white lights dance through the bushes before Asami’s eyes until the limo finally turns left. They head to the indicated shipping section past the small planes parked for the night when…

“Wait! There!”

Asami is already out of the car before the driver can bring it to a full stop. Cussing, barking orders through his earpiece, Suoh runs after him as he heads to a small jet that just took off. Then he sees what caught his boss’ attention. Someone is running on the tarmac.

 

Asami pays no attention to the black sedans and their screeching tires that surround him. He reaches Joaquina just as she trips, catches her in his arms before she can hit the concrete. But instead of the expected relief, it is as if she is oblivious to her father’s presence: she stares into the night sky, crying and wailing loud enough to wake the dead. Asami palpates the child’s body in search of injuries, hugs her when he finds none, but still her crying does not stop.

“Hey, you’re okay. You’re safe now!”

“She’s in a state of shock, sir.” Kirishima observes beside him.

Joaquina’s eyes finally land on him, and a horrible feeling coils in Asami’s gut when he sees how distressed she looks. “Akihito! Where is Akihito?!”

Clutching Asami’s coat, Joaquina lets out choked sobs as she tries to control her erratic breathing, but words refuse to come out of her mouth. Finally, she points to the jet that took off earlier, now just a glinting dot in the night sky.

 

* * *

 

It took a long time for Joaquina to recover from the shock enough to be able to talk. She threw up twice during the car ride that took them to the closest hotel Asami owned, and she had to be carried all the way up to the suite for her legs refused to function. Once she was settled on a couch, Kirishima offered her water and looked after her while Suoh and Asami barked orders around and through their phones as a dozen of guards set up the room with electronic equipment.

“Why are we here?”

“Miss?”

Joaquina lifted her gaze from her water bottle to the secretary. “Why are we not going after them to find Aki?” she asked louder.

 _How much could a five-year old understand?_ Even if he managed to find a way to make it accessible to her, explaining even half of it would take too much time anyway. “Miss, do you remember when we first met, and you asked me if there were games on my computer?” Kirishima waited for her nod before continuing. “There are none, however I can use it to find people. Allow me to show you.”

Kirishima turned his laptop for the screen to be facing Joaquina, and proceeded to track alternately his own phone, the hotel reception’s, and one of the guard’s on round duty in the parking lot.

“But… Aki’s phone –”

“There are other ways to find people. Please leave it to us.”

Kirishima tore his gaze from her when he saw Asami approach. “The initial shock seems to have worn off.” the secretary informed before his boss could even enquire.

Asami took the seat across Joaquina as a satellite phone was being installed on the wooden coffee table between them. “How are you feeling?”

The child plunged her grey, still wet eyes into his. “Are we… going to get Aki back soon?”

“We are. That’s why you must tell us everything you can remember about what happened earlier.” Joaquina hesitated, as if not knowing where to start. “You went to Kasai Rinkai Park with Akihito this afternoon, right?”

“Huh… Yes, we were in the park with Aki, and I found a cellphone… And then, and then they tried to pull me in a car– no, in a bus! And Aki tried to fight them and pull me the other way, but he couldn’t, so they grabbed him too…”

“Who’s ‘’they’’, Joaquina?”

Suoh joined them and sat next to her on the couch. “Did you see their faces, Miss? Did they say any–”

The girl perks up suddenly. “Ah! San Jose! The men are from San Jose! I know! I know because once _tío_ Oscar took me on an escapade and we met people from there, and their accent –”

“Okay, well done.” Asami gently cuts the babbling off. “You know for sure they’re from San Jose. Anything else? Tattoos, scar–” He stops as all color flee her face. “What is it?”

Joaquina had gone pale as a ghost, and her hands gripped her water bottle hard enough to make the plastic squeak under the pressure. “In the room, before Aki woke up… There was one man… He put his face really close to mine, and he said: ‘’Look into my eyes.’’ Then he said: ‘’Do I look familiar?’’”

The men exchanged glances as the girl gave no further information. “Well… Did he?” Kirishima tried.

Joaquina blinked and moved her jaw around pensively before answering. “…No.”

 

The phone on the table between them rang loudly then, the piercing sound bouncing on the hotel room’s walls making the little girl jolt. Asami quickly gave Joaquina the last warnings about being quiet no matter what before Kirishima took the call, immediately putting it on speaker.

Silence filled the room for a few unbearable seconds, safe for the caller’s soft breath and the faint rumbling noise behind him.

“Which one am I talking to? Boss, Blond, or Glasses?”

Beside Suoh, Joaquina put her trembling hand in his large paw when the grating, mocking voice emerged from the speaker. The bodyguard squeezed it reassuringly.

“You took something that belongs to me.” Asami said coldly. “Give him back this instant and I might spare you.”

A soft chuckle answered him. “Put the girl on the phone.”

Hiding his own surprise as several heads turned to Joaquina, it was Asami’s turn to chuckle darkly. “You must not know who I am, if you think you can –”

“Oh, I know who you are alright. _You_ are the one who doesn’t know who _I_ am…” The man’s tone grew more dangerous and impatient with each word. “Now put the girl on the phone or if you want to see your boy toy again, you’ll have to stitch his face back together first.”

Still holding on to Suoh, Joaquina hunched forward towards the phone and peeked at the texts Kirishima wrote at the speed of light for her to read. “I’m here…”

“How you doing, little mouse?” The kidnapper resumed his playful tone, sounding like he was tremendously enjoying the situation.

“Can we talk to Aki-hi-to now? …Please?”

A few seconds of silence passed again before the bastard agreed. “Hey. Your owner wants to hear your voice.” they heard him say in the distance.

“A–Asami?”

Asami’s brow furrowed even more at the slightly husky voice. “How are you, Akihito?”

 

“…I counted five m–”

Suoh just had time to grab Joaquina’s head between his arm and broad chest to cover her ears as he clamped his hand over her mouth before the first thwack could be heard through the speaker, followed by Akihito’s groans of pain. His hand resembling the talons of a bird of prey, Asami clutched his armrest and forced himself to remain silent, waiting. _Forget sparing after all._

The kidnapper did not come back on the phone until he sounded almost as out of breath as Akihito. “Up to you now, _niña._ You know what I’m after. I’ll be in touch.”

The call disconnected and Asami’s lethal gaze moved up from the phone to Joaquina, his eyes zeroing on her. It was a look Suoh and Kirishima had seen more than once, and if the little girl had not been Asami’s _–literally–_ they would not have given her much of a chance.

 


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I could have finished this chapter earlier, but I fell sick last week and was bedridden for a few days, and couldn't write at all…

“You really don’t understand a  _ single  _ word I’m saying?” 

Akihito lifted his eyes to the man sitting across him. Holding the weight of his head on two fingers, he kept his gaze riveted on the young man. Akihito had decided to pretend to know only Japanese, hoping his captors would eventually lower their guard and leak precious information. They spoke to him in English with a thick but still understandable accent, and in an incredibly fast Spanish between them but thanks to months of practice with Joaquina, Akihito managed to grasp some words here and there. He had caught the man’s name, too – or at least a nickname – the men he was with called him  _ Rez. _

Quite luckily, the bastard’s physique was so unusual that it was easy for Akihito to adopt a dazed expression whenever he looked at him after being spoken to. Larger, taller, and definitely older than him, Rez was thin and it seemed as if both his muscles and bones were constantly fighting for the right to poke through his pale skin the most. His short dark hair and odd eyes – one brown, the other grey – reminded Akihito of those hairless, wrinkly cats some people were fond of. The bastard also loved talking… or rather he loved hearing himself speak. 

Since boarding the plane, he had told Akihito that he expected him to be shorter and younger, that he should not worry because he was not into boys, that everything would be fine as long as everyone behaved and did as he said, that he found Tokyo ugly and missed some chicken-based dish whose name Akihito had not been able to catch. He almost got him to respond when he asked him if his stomach still hurt from the kicks he inflicted earlier during the phone call with Asami. 

“What a shame, really.” he was now saying. “None of you have any idea what she’s worth, hm?” Akihito tried not to perk up.  _ She?  _ Was he talking about Joaquina? 

“She’s the key, you see. The key!”  _ Great. _ Now the guy was turning into a cheesy screw-loose-having villain cliché. 

“It all ends with her… By the way, I wonder… Does she know I’m her uncle?” This time Akihito failed to stop the exclamation of surprise that escaped his lips as he looked up, and immediately regretted it. The man’s feral smile grew slowly, wrinkling his skin in ways that made his face look less human with each passing second. “Hah-haa!” he cried victoriously. “I knew you could understand me!” 

 

* * *

 

“Joaquina. What is he talking about?” 

Asami’s tone was as quiet as it was threatening, and his look stern enough to make even his men nervous. Joaquina’s face turned every possible shade of green and white while she bit the inside of her mouth at her father’s lethal stare. 

“…I don’t know.” she breathed finally. 

“Don’t lie to me!” Asami snapped. “You obviously know each other. He talked to  _ you. _ ” 

“…I don’t know… anything.” 

Next to them, Suoh and Kirishima exchanged a glance equally mixed with nervousness and annoyance. Even if she was young, it was certain that she understood the situation – and what was at stake – and obviously knew more than she admitted. 

Asami’s eyes narrowed. “Akihito has been taken away, do you understand?! He’s in danger and you would still be if it wasn’t for him. You have a curious way of– Hey, what are you doing with your jaw?” 

Joaquina jolted at the question. Kirishima had seen it too: it was the same movement she did back during the meeting with the yakuza families whenever she was asked questions. “She’s rolling her tongue around in her mouth before she answers, sir.” 

The girl’s head snapped in the secretary’s direction with an astounded face. The look he threw back at her was the coldest she had ever seen on him.  _ Enough is enough. _

A loud noise brought Joaquina’s attention back in front of her. With a kick, Asami had pushed aside the coffee table that separated them and grabbed her jaw, forcing her eyes in his. “Whatever little game you’re playing, it ends  _ now. _ Spit it out!” 

Tears filled Joaquina’s eyes and her lips trembled, but she kept them tightly sealed together despite the iron grip. 

Observing the unfruitful exchange from the side, a visceral dilemma twisted Suoh’s insides: whether to intervene or not. He had pledged a total allegiance to Asami Ryuichi long ago, who in turn had made him swear to protect Akihito and then Joaquina, and now the girl seemingly insisted on sitting on a piece of information that could help save the young man while time was against them.  _ Unless she did not… _

“Asami-sam–” 

“He wants my necklace.”

The room fell silent as Asami loosened his grip slowly, gazing down to the piece of precious metal around Joaquina’s neck that she held in her fist. “What’s with it?” he asked when she did not provide an explanation.

“ _Mi tío_ _Oscar…_ He said I should hold onto it. He said it’s very precious.” She brought her other hand up in defense when her father made a move to reach it. “No! It’s all I have left from him!” 

Pensive, Asami slowly retracted his hand. Something was off… It was just a yellow gold necklace. One with unusual, intricate designs engraved on it and a great emotional value, sure, but still. There were billions of them in the world. “What’s so special about it?” he asked again.

Joaquina shook her head from side to side. “I don’t know. It’s all I have left from him.” she repeated in a faint voice. 

Sighing heavily, Asami let himself drop back on the sofa and slicked his fingers through his hair. The room fell silent for several long seconds, its occupants waiting for the man to emerge from his thoughts. 

“Kirishima? How long would it take to create a perfect replica of that necklace?” 

The secretary craned his neck to get a better view of the pendant. “Given its size, I’d say the job could be done within twenty-four hours.” 

“Perfect.” Asami directed his attention back to Joaquina, who perked up like a criminal awaiting the sentence. “Allow him to take photos of your necklace. If it’s really what the kidnapper is after, we’ll lure him with the replica to get Akihito back. Does that sound like a good deal to you?” 

Staring down into nothingness, Joaquina nodded slowly. 

 

* * *

 

_ Uncle?! _ Akihito raked his brain trying to put the pieces together. It had always been clear that besides Asami, Joaquina only had two other relatives: her mother Carla and her uncle Oscar, who were both deceased. No one else had ever been mentioned. 

“O–Oscar?” Akihito tried in a timid voice he could not recognize as his own. 

The man looked up to him with wide eyes before he scoffed, his face twisting into a mix of surprise and mockery. “Eheheh! Haaa, that greedy motherfucker Oscar… He sure was hard to find, but not half as invincible or lucky people said he was… Nothing a bullet to that thick skull of his couldn’t do…” 

Akihito flared up at the realization. “You– You’re the one who killed him?! Why –”

“You know nothing.” the man cut off. “Explaining everything to you is a waste.” 

The sudden ringing of the satellite phone stole the man’s attention. Genuine surprise showed on his face until he took the call. “Now, now… That’s quite an interesting turn of events.” Rez purred at the device. 

Akihito felt his stomach turn upside down when he saw the man’s lips stretch into an evil snarl as he eyed him hungrily. 

 

* * *

 

“This hotel belongs to you, right Tata? Can I go around?” 

“Absolutely not. You need to get some sleep.” 

“No. I’m hungry. I want strawberry cake and shrimp tempura with soup.” 

Asami lifted a single eyebrow at the odd demand but still silently signaled to a guard standing by. 

Joaquina jumped off the couch and hurriedly headed to the master bedroom. “Everyone! I’m going to poop and shower before the meal, so don’t come in here!” Joaquina announced as she quickly disappeared inside, closing the double door behind her.

Suoh followed his boss as he retreated to the balcony for a smoke. “Asami-sama. I didn’t want to mention it in front of the little Miss, but if it’s really her necklace they’re after, why didn’t they take it when they had her?” 

“Because it’s not.” Asami said as he exhaled a puff of smoke before confirming his subordinate’s theory. “I’m starting to think that even Joaquina doesn’t know what this is all about.” 

“Could it be that the whole ordeal has to do with her…  _ relatives? _ ” 

Who knew what the Gómez Aguilar twins had been up to for the past six years… Soon after his departure, they had risen to power and Asami had entirely pulled out from Costa Rica in order to avoid any eventual clash with them. The two were quite famous for raising Hell after all, and he thought he prefered them – especially  _ her _ – as allies rather than enemies. 

“It could. Even if they’re not from the same area, they’re still compatriots” 

 

* * *

 

“Heh! I’m glad to hear that.” 

“…”

“Let’s arrange a meeting, then. Tell me about the building you’re in.” 

“…” 

“A helicopter can be there in two hours. Make sure to be at the meeting poin–”

“…” 

“Ah, I can’t guarantee that! If attacked, my men will hit back… Up to you to make sure yours don’t do anything stupid.” 

“…“

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t fuck this up, alright? See ya.” 

 

* * *

 

Asami heard the sound of the shower running when he walked in the master bedroom. Joaquina had been in there for a long time, and he was about to knock on the bathroom door when Kirishima appeared in his back. 

“Asami-sama, we received the complete information report on the plane Takaba-sama was taken in. Apparently its tank wasn’t full, so if their plan was to cross the Pacific, they would have, um… Asa–”

Asami lifted his hand, silently ordering the secretary to be quiet. Immobile, he listened intently to the regular and uninterrupted sound of the water falling against the tiles… Asami then flung the bathroom’s unlocked door open before walking in. Kirishima stayed rooted in his spot until he heard his boss curse. 

“She’s gone!” 

Asami rushed to the door while Kirishima went further back in the master bedroom and searched every single hiding spot such a small human being could fit in.

“Have you seen Joaquina walk out of here?” he asked the two guards on duty outside the room.

“She hasn’t come back yet, sir.” 

“Come  _ back _ from  _ where?! _ ” Alerted by the noise, Suoh had followed the voices.

The guards’ expressions suddenly changed when they saw the look of sheer fury of their superior. “Sh–She is… She said Asami-sama wanted someone to go with her to the b–boutique to get new clothes… And…” 

Suoh exploded at the sorry excuse of a justification. “And you freaking idiots didn’t think about checking that with your boss first?!” 

_ Punishment will have to wait. _ Without a second glance to the two trembling men, Asami dialed his secretary as he strode down the hallway, Suoh on his heels. “Kirishima! Connect to the security cameras! You will be our eyes.” 

“I’m already in, sir. Fifth floor. She just got out of a service elevator… Asami-sama, I think she has a universal keycard.” 

Suoh clicked his tongue. There were only two universal keycards for this particular hotel: the one Asami currently held in his hand, and the one Joaquina had taken, meaning that not a single door or alarm in the building could resist her. But if all the entry – and exit – points were heavily guarded, then the only way out was up.  _ The roof. _

Monitoring the cameras, Kirishima confirmed the assumption. Asami and Suoh got to the narrow corridor that led to the rooftop just in time to hear the thick metallic door at its end slam shut, followed by the faint jingle of its electronic lock. Asami reached the door in just three strides and starting uselessly pulling on the handle, cursing his top security system for the first time in his life. Unattainable yet within arm reach, Joaquina stared at him with wide eyes through the square window. 

“Open the door, Joaquina. Open it!” 

The girl jolted when he banged especially hard against the door, but her terrorized grey eyes stayed riveted on Asami. Her bottom lip quivered and she slowly shook her head from left to right as she stepped back, eventually running away to the far end of the roof. 

What followed was like one of those mute, inescapable nightmare for Asami. Joaquina crouching down at the helicopter approaching. His men finally getting to open the door, drawing their guns as they bolted outside. Suoh ordering them not to shoot while a huge man passed a harness around Joaquina’s small body. Her offering no resistance as she was being patted down and her pockets emptied. The sight of his little girl being taken away towards the sea, and the until then unknown, sharp pain the separation induced.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .............I am so, so sorry.


	12. A Family Affair

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey… I kinda lost track of time– okay no that's a lie.  
> I actually spent the past 2 weeks catching up with season 3 of SNK, and also watching Grandmaster Of Demonic Cultivation (which was amazing, by the way) I read the manhua, too.
> 
> Anyway, here's the new chapter! Many readers told me they were looking forward to this… "moment" hehehe! (hope you like it!) For the others, please mind the new tags. 
> 
> Thanks for reading thus far!

_Numb and dazed to the marrow._

He could not command his body at all, and it was as if his brain was incapable of forming thoughts about what was happening before his very eyes. All he could do was _see,_ without being able to process any of it.

Akihito could see Joaquina, little ball of fury that she was, hit two grown men. He saw them hitting her back, and her getting up only to charge again. Then she was walking towards him, and crouched down to his eye level as she put her little hands around his face. The world started shaking – or rather, she was shaking him. Akihito could tell she was calling his name even though he could not properly understand what she was saying. She started crying too, and eventually laid against him, her face disappearing from his sight. But he felt the heat of a tight hug around him. What a high body temperature that child had, really…

 

* * *

 

Asami had done something none of his subordinates had ever seen him do before: he had gone numb. They had watched him walk unsteadily towards the edge of the roof with a blank expression on his face, eyes riveted to the helicopter as it disappeared further away in the pale orange skies of dawn… As if unsure himself that he would halt his steps, Suoh had even slowly lifted an arm in front of him for his boss to bump softly into.

Yes, Asami had gone numb in front of his men for only a few minutes, but it was soon largely compensated by a surge of unearthly wrath and bloodthirst. The fate of whoever was involved in any way with the rapt would be kept alive only to suffer Hell before being sent right there, and that included bystanders.

 

* * *

 

 

“Last chance, captain.” Asami warned next to the man’s tumefied face as he held his head only by a fistful of hair. A burble noise caught in the man’s throat before he coughed more blood, but spoke no words.

Efficient as ever, Kirishima’s methodic search had led them to a large Chinese cargo ship navigating away in the Pacific ocean. However, upon Asami and his men’s arrival, the crew had decided to blatantly lie to their faces.

Asami let go of the man’s hair. He was more interested in what was happening behind the liar anyway: the rest of the crewmen had been restrained and forced to the floor, made to witness the crime lord’s rough interrogation methods. Who answered his questions did not matter. There were plenty of bones to break, plenty of blood to spill. If his first victim did not squeal, another would sooner or later.

“You allowed a small plane on your deck recently.” Asami recited as he pulled a tantō from the sheath one of his subordinates offered him. “On its board were a group of Hispanic men, as well as a young Japanese with light hair.” Without much warning, Asami sank the blade in the captain’s left thigh just above the knee, causing the man to produce a wonderfully piercing cry. The crewmen shivered with fear and disgust. “Later a helicopter came too…” Asami continued and pressed his own foot on the back of the captain’s shin to keep him from moving. “…This time with a child, a little girl.” As he slowly pushed the tantō deeper and up the man’s thigh, Asami had to raise his voice to cover his victim’s screams that resonated against the ship's hold metallic walls. “You dare lie to me and tell me nothing of the sort caught your attention?!”

It was only when Asami felt the blade catch against the pelvic bones that the younger man he had identified as most likely to give in raised his voice, halting his next move. “Wait! No–No more… Please… They were there… There are videos! It’s all on tape, please have mercy –”

“Show me.” Asami ordered as Suoh lifted the young man up unceremoniously.

He took them to a small room fully equipped with video surveillance material, and set up the monitor for them.

The video showed a group of men standing and talking among themselves, except for one that was sitting on the floor with his back against the wall, hands visibly tied. Asami could recognize that form anywhere. _Akihito._ Something off screen caught the men’s attention: a small girl and a huge man. That would be Joaquina and the bastard from the helicopter. Asami and Suoh watched her walk across the screen. _“You lied to me! You– You– Bag of poop!”_ her voice resonated. A snarling, skinny yet muscular man Asami identified as the boss shrugged and laughed at the girl approaching him… Until she adopted the fighting stance Suoh had taught her, pulled back her fist, and punched him right in the crotch. Asami would have swelled up with pride in other circumstances.

The huge man slapped Joaquina around until she fell to the floor while the boss hunched forward, holding his jewels and stumbling a few steps back. The girl refused to stay down and continued to try and pry Muscle’s hands off her while she yelled. _“Liar! You lied to me! You said you would let Aki go! Liar!”_ Slim finally managed to right his back, but his smile had completely disappeared. _“You really thought I’d obey a pissy brat like you?! Huh?!”_ Joaquina stomped her foot. _“I’m not a pissy brat! My name is Asami Joaquina Gómez Aguilar and I won’t forgive you!”_ She turned to Akihito then, as if she was only now aware of his presence, and walked towards him. Something was off with the young man, Asami had noticed: he had not moved or said anything at all, even with Joaquina shaking him and calling his name. Asami decided he had seen enough when he heard the boss give orders about grabbing the two and leaving without disclosing anything specific about their destination.

Once they were back to the lined up crewmen who looked as pale as ghosts and in need of a change of pants, Asami asked in a voice husky with rage: “Does any of you want to insist on not knowing who the two hostages were, or who they belong to?!”

“I–We… didn’t know they were…”

The crime lord whipped out his gun and fired two bullets in the captain’s chest and stomach. “You’ve used your quota of lies for a lifetime.” he said before turning back to his men. “We’re leaving.”

“What about the others, sir?” Suoh enquired.

Asami answered by walking nonchalantly to the shaking men and sank a single bullet in each head, one after the other. When came the turn of the one who had showed them the video, Asami stayed immobile for a second, and eventually lowered his weapon. The young man dropped to his knees, bowing as low as to hit his forehead against the floor as he spluttered thanks.

“Destroy all means of communication.” Asami ordered his men. “We’ll see how good of a sailor this one is. Let’s go!” he repeated as he turned away from the youth’s decomposed face.

“Where to, Asami-sama?”

“Off to a long overdue meeting!”

 

* * *

 

Unlike him, she was not tied down… She did not need to be, as she was not fighting at all anymore. Akihito had regain his senses to find Joaquina having what looked like a very serious discussion with her newly-found uncle and his men, all gathered around a table. Everything just kept getting weirder, and it was seriously getting on Akihito’s nerves. As he pondered whether making a fuss would be detrimental to Joaquina’s safety, the ‘’meeting’’ came to an end.

Rez walked the girl to him, and produced a surprisingly elegant hunting knife with a wooden handle. “If one of you says anything in a language I don’t understand…” he warned while pointing the long blade at them alternatively, “…or simply if I don’t like what I’m hearing, I’ll cut something off the other. _¿Claro?_ ”

They both glared at him for a second until Joaquina turned to Akihito. “Aki, I’m… glad you’re okay…”

“Why are you here, Joaquina?” he cut off, more severely than he wanted to. “I got you out… You got out of there, how come you’re back _in_ ?!” _Asami… Is Asami okay?_ Akihito refrained from asking that question. Upsetting the knife-wielding lunatic did not sound like a wise thing to do.

Joaquina lowered her head, and looked as if she was about to cry. “It wasn’t supposed to be like that… He said that if I went with him, he would let you go, Aki… He promised me, but he lied…”

 

* * *

 

As silent as ghosts, dark shadows approached the small building. A first group surrounded it before a second one entered the premises. The air dropped a few degrees when Asami walked in after his men, although only the one he had come to see seemed to have noticed his presence. Wordless, the priest stared at him with an expression of sheer horror, as if the devil himself had just crossed his church’s threshold.

While the guards silently took their positions around, Asami made his way to the petrified man he had come for. “You have thirty seconds to make everybody leave.” he spoke in a low voice in his ear. “Then I’m sealing this door regardless of who’s still inside.”

Pedro blinked twice before he hurried to the few devouts scattered on the wooden benches and softly mumbled excuses with a tense smile as he led them out of the small holy building. Once the last one had left, a guard closed and locked the heavy door, forcing the priest away from it.

“W–Why are you here?! Joaquina– Where is she? What happened to her?!” he asked in a shaky voice as he stumbled further towards the opposite wall.

So Pedro was going to play not only dumb but also defiant, despite knowing who he was? _Alright then._ Hands in his pockets, Asami marched on him mercilessly. “Why do you think something happened to her?”

Before the man could even think of an answer, Asami whipped out his gun and sent a bullet right through the left knee. Pedro fell abruptly to the floor with a cracking noise and a long pained scream.

“Hurry up and tell me why a bunch of grown men are after my five-year old daughter!”

“You– What do you think you–?! All you had to do was keep her safe! You couldn’t even do it for –”

Asami aimed for the second knee and fired. “I’ve been stripped from what’s most precious to me, and I’ll burn the whole world to ashes to get them back! Entering priesthood might have saved you from a lot of people so far, but not from me! _Now talk!_ ”

“I promised…”

“…Before I come up with another way of…”

“I promised them not to tell!”

“ _Them?_ Who’s _them_?” Asami watched the priest’s head drop, a hand covering his face. “Oscar and Carla?” His eyes narrowed. “Did you betray –”

“Never!” Pedro spat. “Never… I’d rather die…”

Wounded or not, Pedro was one of those people who could not lie without their expression and overall body language giving them away. If he could look at him in the eye, that was enough.

Asami lowered his weapon. “If that’s your wish, I’ll gladly grant it later. Talk.”

Pedro groaned as he grabbed a bench nearby to pull himself into a seating position on the floor. “What do you know about the kidnapper?” he panted as he tried to catch his breath.

“Joaquina said he’s after the necklace Oscar gave her.” The priest biting his lip was not lost on Asami. “Does that ring a bell?”

Pedro closed his eyes and nodded slowly. “Oscar and Carla’s parents… I didn’t get to meet them, they died in a road accident just before the twins’ nineteenth birthdays. But I heard they were good –”

“The point, Pedro. Get to it.” Asami cut off harshly.

The priest let out a long sigh. “One night, years before the twins were born, the couple was assaulted on their way home… The lady was raped, and she got pregnant. Nine months later, a baby boy was abandoned on the steps of a church in San Jose…”

“So the twins had a stepbrother. What’s the correlation between –”

“Fast forward to a few decades or so. Remember when you first came to Costa Rica… Montoya, the gold, and all that? Well… It’s true that it wasn’t in his possession, but…”

Asami let out an exasperated sigh. _That freaking gold again._ “What, was it in yours, then?”

“No… We knew it existed, but we didn’t know where it was exactly. Montoya was sitting on a piece of information that would lead to its finding. That’s why Carla… asked you to let her have at him. So that she could find it.”

 _Find it without me knowing._ “So I’ve been lied to twice about that damn gold. What tells me you’re not the third?”

Pedro threw an angry look at Asami. “The man who has Joaquina is known as just _Rez._ I don’t know how, but somehow he found out about both his family history and the stash of gold’s existence.

Asami’s brain suddenly made the disturbing connection then. “Wait. Don’t tell me…”

“Rez is Joaquina’s step-uncle.” Pedro confirmed. “He’s so persistent and ruthless, we all had to go into hiding. It’s when he killed Oscar that Carla reached out to you… She would have traveled to Japan herself, if her health wasn’t so bad…”

Asami took a sharp inhalation. _So that was it._ That was the reason Carla had suddenly contacted him after all these years. Why she had refused his offer to avenge her beloved twin brother… She just wanted him to take off to safety with their daughter as soon as soon possible.

“Now, about that necklace…” Pedro continued, pulling Asami from his thoughts. “The twins moved the gold elsewhere, I swear even I don’t know the location… Joaquina was too young to be able to remember the route to it, so Oscar had that pendant engraved for her. It’s like a tiny coded map only the two of them could understand. One is useless without the other… You know what that means, right?”

Of course he did. Everything was awfully clear. “Rez will have Joaquina lead him to the gold, and once he finds it he will have no use for her.”

 

* * *

 

“He says he’s your uncle… Is that true? Did you know?”

Joaquina’s expression hardened. “Yeah…” she turned to Rez who had made a questioning hum at her answer. “I remembered when I saw you earlier. You came to my school one day. You wore sunglasses but I could see that your eyes were different. After I told Mama, that’s when she said I wouldn’t go to school anymore.”

The man seemed like he was about to say something, but Joaquina turned back to Akihito. “Aki, it’s like I said: I’m just showing them to the secret place and then everything will be fine!”

Akihito could only stare at her smiling face with wide eyes. He could not form the words. First, because he was at a loss, but also due to the sight of Rez playing with his knife while looking right at them.

Nothing, absolutely _nothing_ was going to be ‘’fine’’.

 


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No additional warning needed for this one…  
> Enjoy!*

“Alright, let’s have a look at the map… Ah see, that’s where you went the wrong– Eh? Joaquina?” 

“ _Tío…_ I’ll never be able to remember everything…” 

“Hey, it’s okay, _chica._ Don’t worry, you’ll make it just fine eventually… Now, wanna see if you can take us back to the car? If we’re not home by sundown, your Mama will scold me again.” 

 

* * *

 

“Well? Focus! Which way?” 

“…Maybe all she needs is a few seconds of _silence._ ” 

“Oh, don’t make me gag you, you blond–”

“Hey! You touch him and I’ll take you right to a snake den!” 

This kind of argument had happened at least five times in less than two days: Rez pressed Joaquina as soon as she showed the slightest hesitation, Akihito defended her with a scathing remark to which Rez responded by threatening him, and Joaquina retorted in similar fashion. As the only one who knew where the stash of gold was hidden, the child was actually well aware of the power she held over their captors, and did not hesitate to remind them as often as she saw fit. On the first day, as Akihito had been made to walk with his hands tied in front of him, he had the brilliant idea of ripping one by one the charms of the bracelets he was still wearing, letting them drop to the ground like breadcrumbs. Unfortunately, Rez had been quick to notice and got into a terrible rage. Seeing that her screams and pleas were being ignored as the bastard kept beating Akihito without restraint, Joaquina had grabbed the hand of the man closest to her, and bit it down so hard that the blood had splashed out. Reflexively, the henchman had grabbed his gun and pointed it at the girl’s head… but did not get to shoot before Rez sent a bullet right through his skull first. That action had had the double effect of putting an end to the argument, and making the group’s hierarchy as well as the worth – or lack thereof – of each individual that composed it clear to everyone.

At the very beginning of their journey, Joaquina had requested to be taken to a very specific part of a remote village way outside the capital, claiming that she only knew the way to the gold from there. She categorically refused to check the map the men offered her in her rare moments of hesitation, claiming that it would only mislead her. Afraid of putting Joaquina’s safety in jeopardy if he tried anything else, Akihito followed the group with more diligence than if he had been alone. No one talked to him and he talked to no one, aside from expressing his own needs of sustenance, sleep, and Nature’s calls. His brain, however, worked at full speed. 

Akihito knew for certain that Asami would come to get them no matter what, but how would he ever find them in this faraway area? They had been walking for three whole days now, and kept going deeper and deeper in a forest completely devoid of human inhabitants or installations. Even if he managed to escape with Joaquina, where would they go? Akihito could not count on the girl’s familiarity with the region, not that he believed her to be unreliable, but because at the end of the day, she was still just a _five-year old._ Besides, they had absolutely no opportunity or means to communicate: Akihito walked in the back of the group, surrounded by the minions, while Joaquina led at the front, closely followed by Rez. 

It was only on the fourth day, when Akihito noticed her walking faster and with less hesitation, that he came to realize that Joaquina had actually dragged her feet for as long as she could, probably hoping that Asami would catch up with them. The sudden change could only mean one thing: they were getting close to their final destination. Rez must have sensed it too, because he woke them up before the Sun was even visible in the sky the next day.

They reached a narrow river by the time it was. Joaquina walked to the bank, halted her steps just before the tip of her shoes reached the water, and stared down at her reflection until Rez interrupted her. “You lost?” 

“Not at all. We’ll get there in a few hours.”

As they followed the stream, they eventually arrived at a tall rock formation, seemingly shaped like a horseshoe and covered in vegetation, with a waterfall that fell directly into the river at the center of it. When he realized the kind of configuration he was being led to, Rez immediately grabbed Akihito by his shirt and pulled him close, halting the group. 

“Relax, it’s just at the end of the valley… We _have_ to get through it.” Joaquina informed as an attempt to calm him. 

“I don’t like this…” Rez mumbled as his odd eyes scanned his surroundings suspiciously for a moment  before he jutted his chin as a signal for the girl to move on. 

For once, Akihito had to give reason to the bastard: the closer they got to the waterfall, the more he doubted that a stash of gold as large as described was hidden anywhere around there. Besides, the man was obviously expecting a trap at this point. Unless Joaquina had a solid ace up her sleeve, their situation was about to turn even more perilous than it already was in a matter of seconds…

Akihito’s thoughts were interrupted when he was abruptly shoved to the side, lost his balance, and found himself in the river with water almost up to his knees. Still gripping him by the shirt, Rez pushed him along. 

“Useless little shit… You wanna die?!” 

“That’s my line, actually.” 

 _That voice…_ Eyes wide with hope, Akihito looked up to the low rumble that had been followed by a good dozen of quick metallic rattling noises. Standing on top of the rock formation around the river and waterfall, Asami and his men surrounded them. 

 

* * *

 

A gleam of reflected light played over Suoh’s left eye. His gaze fell on the huge man with tattooed arms, the one who had taken Joaquina in the helicopter and beaten her on the ship. He glanced at Suoh for a split second to make sure he was watching him before turning back to the scope of his assault weapon. Following its barrel, Suoh saw that he was aiming right at Joaquina. The message could not be any more clear. _Make one move and the girl gets it._

A movement from her part caught his attention: she faced them, standing in front of her step-uncle with her arms spread as if to protect him. It was only then that Suoh noticed her expression: instead of the mix of anxiety and relief found on Akihito’s face, she looked absolutely horrified to see them. 

“Don’t! Tata! All of you, don’t come any closer! I’ve got this, so stay – _ah!_ ” Joaquina suddenly clamped her hands over her mouth, and tears filled her wide grey eyes as she turned to her step-uncle who was still holding Akihito by the back of his neck.

Trembling with both fear and rage, Rez had the expression of an absolute madman. “I _did_ warn you!”

Akihito’s face distorted in silent surprise and pain as the long hunting knife sank all the way to the hilt in his abdomen. 

 

* * *

 

Joaquina’s horrified screeches piercing through his ears, all Asami could do was grit his teeth and grip his gun tighter as he was made to watch Akihito getting stabbed just a few meters below. As Rez was standing behind the young man and using him like a human shield, there was no way to get the bastard without risking Akihito’s life. _Think fast now…_

“You! Shut up and get over here!” Rez yelled over the child’s voice. 

“Joaquina! Don’t move!” 

“Want me to eviscerate him?!” 

“I said, don’t move!” Asami found his own voice to sound more strangled than he could ever remember when he saw his daughter move away from him yet again.

“I’ll go with you.” she told her step-uncle in a pleading voice. “Just the two of us. I won’t cause any trouble, I’ll do everything you say! So please, leave Aki here and –” 

“Don’t… Joaquina… _Argh!_ ” 

Rez twisted the blade still buried in Akihito’s side. “Cut the bullshit! Boytoy here stays with me! As insurance!” 

“How about the four of us go, then?” Asami had approached them quietly, his gun kept at his side. Next to him, Joaquina tried to dissuade her father but he ignored her entirely. “I don’t care about that gold. You can have it all but if it does exist, I want to see it with my own eyes.” 

Rez considered for a few seconds before answering. “Fine. But _you_ leave your weapons behind. I don’t.” he said as he whipped out his gun, pointing it at Asami. “And you don’t want me to let go of that knife either, right?” 

“…Of course not.” Asami replied in an icy voice. For now, keeping the blade inside the wound was the only way to keep Akihito from bleeding out too much.

Both men gave orders to their respective subordinates before heading to the waterfall, and, led by a nervous Joaquina, soon disappeared behind the heavy curtain of water. 

 

* * *

 

“How much further?”

“We’re almost there.” Joaquina replied without looking back. “Careful, it’s slippery.” she warned for the nth time. 

Past the waterfall, the child had them follow a narrow corridor, as if someone had enlarged an already existing passage by roughly digging into the rock. They also encountered several flights of ‘’stairs’’ that took them further down the Earth’s underbelly, and each time Asami, who walked between Joaquina and the barrel of Rez’s gun, had to endure hearing Akihito’s pained hisses and whimpers behind him.

Finally, the girl announced the end of their journey as she turned a corner, and the men followed her into a large cave that allowed sunlight in through a circular hole at the top. Patches of green moss covered parts of the sharp stone ground and several natural ponds of clear, turquoise water added to the place’s ethereal aesthetic. It sure was a feast for the eyes, but…

“What kind of game are you playing?! There’s nothing here!”

“No, no! There is! There is! The gold is kept underground! I’ll get it but first, let Tata take Aki to the water!”

“No way–”

“Please! He’s bleeding!” Joaquina cried and hid her face in her hands as she pleaded. “The water in here… It’s magic! It can heal him! Please… The water is magic, so please let Aki go…”

“Alright! Alright… Get over here, then. Behind me. Then I’ll hand him over.”

When Joaquina was about to walk past Asami, he lifted a hand in front of her, halting her tracks. Seeing that, Rez took a step back, the sharp movement causing a pained hiccough to escape Akihito. 

Asami’s eyes narrowed. “You really expect me to –” 

“Tata, please! All you have to do is take Aki to the water. It’s going to be fine.” 

A few more heavy seconds passed before the ‘’exchange’’ took place. But even when Asami had his hands full, Rez kept his gun pointed at him until Joaquina managed to pull him away.

“Asami…” Although finally being close to the man was comforting, something felt off. 

“I’ve got you, Akihito. Don’t speak.” Making sure not to move the blade around, but keeping it in place in the wound to prevent blood loss, Asami carefully lowered the young man’s body in the water. It turned out that what he had thought to be mere ponds were actually more like wells, and they were much deeper than they looked like. “Can you catch your footing?”

“I– I can’t, but…” 

Shutting up Akihito’s attempts to reassure him about his condition, Asami glanced behind his shoulder and considered his options. Leaving Akihito in there to keep himself out of the water of a bottomless well was out of question with a wound such as his. Meanwhile, Joaquina was all alone with that bastard… Rez and her were now standing on a platform, and she seemed to be pushing buttons on a small panel hidden against the wall.

A rumbling noise was heard then, and at the center of the cave, a huge glass cylinder soon emerged slowly from the ground, catching everyone’s attention. The Sun played on the gold items it contained, its rays gleaming on the precious metal and sending reverberating yellow lights all over the place. So that stash _had_ existed all along… And it was indeed more than a man could carry. Probably even more than ten men could carry if they relayed each other over a week…

Unlike Akihito, Asami and Rez were too enthralled by the sight of the treasure to notice that Joaquina had jumped off the platform and was now running as fast as her legs would allow her over the slippery rocks. Akihito wanted to tell the older man, but a loud, hissing sound covered his voice. The ground shook then, enough to make the water swash, and a foul smell started to fill the cave. Joaquina was not looking around nervously like Rez, and she was not running to him and Asami.

“Wh–What’s going on?! Hey! What the fuck is this place?!” 

Joaquina had stopped running and stood by a well herself. “This…” she said as she turned around to face her frantic step-uncle, “…is _Hell._ ” 

Feeling as if he had been struck by lightning, Akihito just had the time to loop his arms around Asami’s neck and pull the man with him in the water before the entire cave caught on fire. 

 

* * *

 

When Akihito came to, it took him a moment to understand that the reason he could not breathe was because of the large hand that covered both his mouth and nose entirely. He realized he knew it though, as well as the strong arms holding him close and the muscular chest against his back. _Asami!_

But what Akihito needed right now, more than being held by the man he loved, was air in his lungs. Struggling against the embrace only made Asami tighten his hold and bring pain to Akihito’s side: the blade had been knocked out of the wound, and the blood slowly escaping his body seemed to be dancing as it mixed with the water and faded out. _I need to breathe._  

Looking up, the young man could see bright shades of orange moving around way over them, making Asami’s head appear a dark blue tint. As his eyes adapted to the contrast, Akihito managed to see the man’s face above him: Asami looked apologetic as he held his lithe body close, keeping him from swimming up to the surface. _I really need to breathe now._  

Through the heavy pounding of his blood, Akihito felt something twinge in his heart. Was this really how it would end for him? For them? Being kept from breathing now that they had finally been reunited? Being forced to drown in a well of water instead of burning alive in a fire raging at the surface? How cruel… _Just one breath._ _Please._

Having seen his distress, Asami nuzzled against his hairline. As pained as he looked, the older man also seemed peaceful, almost resolved, Akihito thought, and felt the tears well up. It could not end like this. _Just one little breath._

There were still so many things he wanted to say to Asami. So many things they had to do and experience together. _Just one…_  

And what was it he was about to tell him before they were separated? _Asami…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Please do not hate the writer


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short yet important new chapter, so maybe hold on to something before proceeding…?

In the darkness, a deafening hubbub punctuated with a loud thumping gradually filled his head until it became unbearable, and Akihito finally inhaled as if he was using his lungs for the very first time. His body tensed up beyond his control as he spit water and fought for air. 

“Alright. Well done, Akihito.” 

_ That voice… Those words… _ They were only spoken in the most intimate moments, but the sharp and less-than-pleasant pain in Akihito’s abdomen reminded him that this was definitely not one of them. His throat too sore to allow words to form and his vision blurry from the too long stay underwater, the young man batted his eyelashes until the silhouette bent over him became clearer. 

Asami’s usually impeccably combed back hair flopped over his forehead, dripping wet. He had ripped a sleeve off his shirt, folded it, and now pressed it against Akihito’s wound despite his wincing. “Hold this in place.” the older man ordered in a voice uncharacteristically nervous and shaky. 

“O-ow! Asami… You’re alright? Where’s –” 

“Aki! Tata!” Both men turned their heads and found Joaquina, all smiles, who came running in their direction as she wrung her hair and clothes dry. Her extremely enthusiastic mood was just as disconcerting as it was inappropriate considering the near-death episode they all had just experienced. “Aki, I knew you’d understand! I knew we’d all be okay in the end!” 

Akihito’s eyes darted to Asami at that, and what he saw presaged nothing good: the crime lord seriously looked like he was on the brink of explosion. The girl had not sensed it, but her smile turned upside down when her father reached for her arm and pulled her close unceremoniously. However, before either of them could say or do anything, gunshots resounded throughout the cave. 

Fast as lightning, Asami grabbed the two others and pulled them behind a nearby boulder. “Stay here!” 

Carefully reaching for the calcined corpse lying nearby, he managed to pry the gun off its blackened hand, and fired two shots behind him at random before risking a quick glance to the side. 

More gunshots, and a pull on his shirt.

“A-Asami…” 

“Uh, Tata?”

_ Gunshots. _

“Asami-sama!”

“Suoh! Here!” 

“Asami!” 

_ Gunshots. _

“Don’t worry, Akihito. Just stay behind me!”

_ Gunshots. _

“All clear!”

“All clear, Asami-sama!”

“Asami!” 

“What?!”

Asami finally turns back and, upon following Akihito’s gaze, feels his own insides freeze instantly at the sight before him.

Pale as a ghost, Joaquina is standing there, slightly bending at the waist as she desperately tries to collect in her cupped hands the blood that gushes out of the right side of her belly. The liquid pours through her fingers, drips down her leg in rivulets that soak and taint both sock and shoe. 

Feeling consciousness leave him, all Akihito can see is Asami leaping to her and catching her in his arms before her body can hit the stone floor, and half a dozen of his men crowding close, busying themselves around the child. Finally, a large shoulder and a flash of blond hair block his view before his senses fade out completely. 

 

* * *

 

Kirishima stared expressionlessly at the brown liquid in the laminated paper cup in front of him until the steam stopped its mesmerizing dance and disappeared completely. Calm – or rather, the absence of noise and screams – had finally returned in the clinic’s hallways, but the atmosphere remained heavy, thick with distress. 

The secretary grabbed the two cups of coffee and made his way to the waiting area where he found his colleague. Unlike their boss who, until half an hour ago, had restlessly paced back and forth until he almost bore a trench in the hallway that led to the operating room, Suoh sat immobile in a chair. His back hunched forward, the Head of Security’s elbows rested on his spread knees and his nose was hidden by his large hands clamped together so tight they were slightly shaking, fingers interlaced over his furrowed brow and shut eyes. He looked like he was praying, but Kirishima had never seen him do so before. The secretary had to make a throat noise for his presence to be acknowledged so he could place the cup of tea in Suoh’s hand before taking a seat next to him. They sat in silence for a moment, until Kirishima spoke in a solennel voice he wanted soothing.

“Suoh-san, you must hear this: none of what happened is your f–”

“I know those bullets.” the man cut off, shaking his head. “I can recognize them. If I had gone to her side instead –” 

“If you had,” the secretary interrupted, “Takaba-sama would have most likely bled to death and you know it.”

“Removing them safely is extremely hard to do.” Suoh insisted, as if he was thinking out loud rather than talking to someone. “It’s a miracle that it didn’t explode upon impact… But I could have –”

“That wasn’t a miracle. It was a malfunction. It just happened to be beneficial to us…”  _ For a while, at least… _ “Either way, it’s like I said. None of this is your fault.” 

 

* * *

 

As his senses gradually came back, Akihito also started to feel as if gravity itself had made it a point to try and crush him. Despite his efforts, even his eyelids were too heavy to lift at first, but he could feel something warm and soft playing in his hair and the determination to find out what it was provided all the motivation he needed. The light blinded him at first, but as his eyes adjusted to it, he was thankful that he got to open them to the person he wanted to see.

“Yo.” Akihito managed to whisper in a husky voice.

Asami did not reply, but the corners of his mouth lifted as his thumb left the blond hair to tenderly brush over the forehead. “…We alive?” Talking now required a lot of energy from Akihito and hurt his throat terribly.

“Yes, we are. You’re in a hospital in Costa Rica right now, and you got out of surgery a few hours ago. You’ll be alright.” 

“…and Joaquina?” 

Akihito was in such a state of exhaustion that it slightly impaired his senses, and thus he failed to notice the shadow that passed on Asami’s tired face at the mention of his daughter. 

“Don’t worry about her now… How do  _ you _ feel?” 

Akihito made a special effort to concentrate and run a mental check on his condition. “Like… I got into a fight with a punching bag… And it won.” 

Asami could not help but chuckle softly at that. 

“Thanks for… Coming for us…”  _ For me. _

The man cocked his head to the side with a smug look that normally would have made the younger one flare up. “But of course. You knew I would come to get you, right Akihito? You’re stuck with me for a few more lifetimes, my dear.” 

But sleep had come back to claim him already, and he barely heard the latter half of Asami’s whispered sentence before darkness enveloped him again. 

 

* * *

 

“Is this… This is Heaven, right?” 

Kirishima and Suoh whipped their heads at the question. A shrill cry resounded somewhere further down the hallway, most likely at the vision that came straight from a nightmare: a glassy-eyed little girl clad in white, blood spilling down her leg and pooling around her feet as she slowly made her way across the immaculate floor, murmuring her question again and again to the two tetanized Japanese men.

 

* * *

 

_ “What are you doing here?! Go back! Go! Back!” _

 

* * *

 

Upon waking up and gathering his thoughts, Akihito turned his head to the side where he had found Asami earlier. But this time, the older man paid him no attention as he was sitting on a chair by the other bed across the room, his hands laid in front of him on the mattress.  _ What’s that? Are you praying now? _

No, that was not it – Asami was actually holding something in his arms, slowly nuzzling against it, brushing his knuckles over its sides without a word, occasionally pressing his lips on top of it.  _ Joaquina. _ An uncharacteristically immobile and silent Joaquina. 

 

* * *

 

“Which way did he go?” 

“…Excuse me?”

“The anesthetist. Dark hair. Brown skin. Lanky. Average height. You haven’t seen him?” 

Suoh did not answer. He had questions too, but did not know where to start… Or if he would be able to stomach Dr. Fudo’s unfiltered answers. She was not exactly known for sugarcoating things, after all, so Suoh merely kept his gaze on her as she made no move to get up from the floor she was sitting on with her legs spread, still covered in blood from the recent operation. 

“If I catch that braindead fool,” she continued as she removed her blouse, gloves, and bonnet and tossed them in the bin next to her one after the other, “I’ll cut off his testicles using the same amount of anesthetic he used on her!” Obviously exhausted from the operation, Fudo closed her eyes and threw her head back, letting it hit the wall with a thud. “Ah, nevermind… Forget it.” 

She avoided his gaze, Suoh noticed. “Fudo-sensei –”

“Now, now. It’s like I explained before: the reason she got up so early was because that idiot miscalculated the dosage. As a result, her stitches reopened… She moved around too much… Lost a lot of blood…” The doctor finally turned to look at him, and Suoh did not like the expression he found on her face. “Look, I’ve done all I could here, I really have… Make sure you report that to your boss, too.” 

 

* * *

 

This time, Asami was  _ on _ the bed, his legs crossed at the ankles. Huge pillows supported him so that he was not lying flat on his back, and he held the small bundle that was Joaquina on top of his belly and chest.  _ Like a predator watching over its offspring, _ Akihito thought. 

A sudden yet small movement caught both men’s attention soon enough, and Asami slightly tightened his hold against the girl as she struggled awake. Ultimately, Joaquina opened her eyes and turned her head in Akihito’s direction, but he was not sure if she could actually see him until she licked her lips before they formed a single sound that came out as an inaudible whisper. 

“Hey.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, well… Did everyone survive the suspense / cold sweats so far? (Sorry haha!)  
> If yes, then I guess you can feel that we've reached the beginning of the end here, but worry not: I have already planned for a minimum of 2 more chapters after this one.  
> Thank you for reading thus far! ♡


End file.
